Bezos: Rocket trip was an eco wake-up call
But Amazon billionaire ridiculed over green credentials
JEFF Bezos risked ridicule yesterday as he told Cop26 that his eyes had been opened to the climate crisis after he blasted into space in his private rocket.
The Amazon founder – who flew into Glasgow on his own £48million jet having partied with Bill Gates on a superyacht – told delegates his view of the world had been ‘changed’ by his flight into space in July.
He has already faced accusations of hypocrisy for urging others to cut their carbon footprint while running one of the world’s largest delivery companies.
And yesterday, Mr Bezos, 57, came in for further criticism over his comments on recreational space flights, seen as a significant future contributor to emissions.
He said his trip on the New Shepard rocket, part of his Blue origin space programme, had made him realise ‘how thin the globe’s atmosphere is’.
‘Nature provides all the food we eat, the water we drink and the oxygen we breathe,’ he told the conference.
‘It gives us life. It is beautiful, but it is fragBezos’ ile. I was reminded of this in July when I went into space with Blue origin. I was told that seeing the Earth from space changes the lens from which you view the world.
‘But I was not prepared for just how much that would be true.
‘Looking back at Earth from up there, the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and so fragile.’ He added: ‘Now, in this critical year and what we all know is the decisive decade, we must all stand together to protect our world.’ Yesterday, Prince william posted a picture on social media of him and Mr Bezos shaking hands with the caption: ‘Great to meet Jeff Bezos earlier today to discuss the Earthshot Prize and how we scale up our winners’ and finalists’ incredible solutions.’
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Earthshot Prize rewards environmentally friendly innovation. In response, Mr Bezos wrote: ‘Very proud to be one of the founding funders of Prince william’s Earthshot Prize. It’s easy to see how passionate and thoughtful he is about this important work.’
It comes after Mr Bezos and other billionaires funding ‘space tourism’ including Elon Musk and Richard Branson, were criticised last month by Prince william. Mr Blue origin programme had blasted former Star Trek actor william Shatner into space at the age of 90.
The Duke of Cambridge said at the time that the world’s great minds should instead be ‘trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live.’
But Mr Bezos’ latest comments on space travel were widely criticised. Shadow business spokesman and former Labour leader Ed Miliband said: ‘Billions of people get the scale of the climate crisis without being a billionaire blasted into space. Back on Earth, the Government let Amazon off the hook. Amazon must pay its fair share of taxes, let its workers unionise, and deliver a real plan to decarbonise its business.’
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner questioned whether Mr Bezos’ comments on his ‘epiphany’ were ‘a spoof ’.
Matt Finch, of the Transport and Environment campaign group, also criticised Mr Bezos’ private jet use. ‘Private jets are the most damaging mode of transport environmentally,’ he said.
‘The average private jet emits two tons of carbon for every hour flying. The average person emits eight tons per year.
‘The people speaking should be leading by example, especially when it comes to taking a private jet to and from a climate conference.’
As part of his appearance at Cop26, the billionaire pledged to give £1.47billion to aid land restoration in Africa. It doubled his previous pledge of £732million.
The money, part of the Bezos Earth Fund, will help fund an initiative to plant more than 20million trees across Africa to counter desertification on the continent.
His contribution is part of £5.3billion in private investment and public funding worth £8.75billion backing a declaration by 110 nations – covering 85 per cent of the world’s forests – to halt and reverse deforestation and land degradation by 2030.
Mr Bezos has been named by Forbes magazine as the richest
‘We must all stand together’ ‘Private jets are most damaging’
person in the world for the last four years, with an estimated worth of around £130billion.
However Tesla founder Mr Musk is currently believed to be the world’s richest man after the share price of his car brand recently surged.
Mr Bezos flew his private Gulf Stream jet into Scotland from the G20 summit in Rome on Sunday, having previously celebrated Bill Gates’ 66th birthday on a superyacht in Turkey.
A Bezos Earth Fund spokesman said: ‘Jeff Bezos uses sustainable aviation fuel, and offsets all carbon emissions from his flights.’