Amazon's chief executive, Jeff Bezos, with an estimated net worth of $ 130 billion, is the world's richest man, announced that he is creating the Bezos Earth Fund on Monday. The fund is a $ 10 billion global initiative aimed at financing “any effort that empowers the real world to help and conserve the natural world.”
Bezos revealed his new technique in an Instagram post Monday, there hHe said that climate change is a major threat to the world. Amazon officials have said it wants to work with others to "raise awareness and look for new ways" to combat the negative impact of climate change. According to the announcement, the Bezos Earth Fund will fund scientists, activists, NGOs and other initiatives. It will start issuing grants this summer.
"We can save the world. We will take collective action from big companies, small companies, nations, international organizations and people," Said Bezos.
The concrete details about the program have not been published yet. Report of the Verge that a person close to the fund said he would not be involved in investing in private companies, but the focus was entirely on generosity. Let's be honest: It's a good announcement, and if it works as described, it can support good work.
However, the Bezos & # 39; s bag is also notable for many other reasons. First, the fund aims to protect and preserve the Earth. This is a turnaround for Bezos, which in recent years has focused on reaching the moment with Blue Origin, his spaceflight company. Bezos has said that in the past Blue Origin & # 39; s his most important work & # 39; and that he wants his grandchildren to live in a world of “in Einsteins” and unlimited resources, something he believes is possible only if humanity moves beyond Earth to the Solar system.
However, Amazon's CEO's concern for the planet is not out of the blue. Bezos also said that he believes that in the near future people will goheavy industry ” the world, it transforms the planet into a living space with bright light.
"It's going to be a wonderful world," Bezos told Buster Insider in an interview in 2018. "We have sent robotics around the world to this Solar System now and I believe it is the best of these."
The new Bezos Earth bag is also important because it's one and The biggest effort by the Amazon executive so far. Before this, his greatest contribution was $ 2 billion in projects focused on early childhood education and assistance to homeless families.
Bezos has faced criticism for not giving much of his money to charity. While they were divorcing, Bezos's ex-wife, MacKenzie Bezos, signed a charter of generosity, a commitment for the richest of families and families to donate most of their wealth to the pain. (Bezos does not sign the pledge.) MacKenzie Bezos has reached a settlement agreement with Jeff Bezos for $ 35 billion, the largest in history.
In addition, Bezos's $ 10 billion pledge compares Amazon's climate crisis. The company's Weather Promise, its coThe reduction in response to the reduction in the exit of the Paris Climate Agreement and neutrality by 2040, has been criticized as weak. By comparison, Microsoft has announced that it will be carbon by 2030 and remove all the carbon it emitted since its inception in 1975.
Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, a group of company executives who believe that its business models should not be involved in climate change, are enjoying Bezos' new philanthropic program. B.group and called him by other actions that you think consistent with the complexity of the weather.
The group highlighted the fact that Amazon continues to cooperate with oil and gas companies, which play a major role in climate change. It also asked why the company threatened by fire crews talk to the media about their efforts.
"As history has taught us, viewers of the truth are against established programs, sometimes at great expense," the group said in a statement. "We applaud Jeff Bezos & # 39; s philanthropy, but one hand can't offer what you drink."