Amazon CEO and richest man in the world Jeff Bezos has announced a new fund to help combat climate change. With the Bezos Earth Fun, he'll commit $10 billion of his personal net worth and begin issuing grants this summer. In an Instagram post announcing the initiative, Bezos says he'll fund "scientists, activists, NGOs — any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world."
Seven percent —
The $10 billion commitment constitutes 7 percent of his estimated $130-billion net worth. That's not exactly a significant hit to the man's coffers, but hey, at least it's better than the five minutes of work he donated to the Australian Bushfire effort. His $690,000 donation last month essentially sparked a reaction of "That's cute."
But what about Amazon? —
Amazon's one-day shipping has proven enticing to customers, but it's a disaster environmentally. Shipping small orders express like a box of toothpaste is extremely wasteful — so perhaps that's what the company should target as part of its Climate Pledge announced last year. Not threatening to fire workers in Amazon Employees for Climate Justice could be nice, too.
