The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
$10bn pledged to help tackle climate change
US: Amazon boss to personally fund fight
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he plans to spend $10 billion (£7.7bn) of his own fortune to help fight climate change.
Mr Bezos, the world’s richest man, said in an Instagram post that he will start giving grants this summer to scientists, activists and non-profits working to protect the Earth.
“I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change,” Mr Bezos said in the post.
Amazon, the company Mr Bezos runs, has an enormous carbon footprint.
Last year, Amazon officials said the company would work to have 100% of its energy use come from solar panels and other renewable energy by 2030.
The online retailer relies on fossil fuels to power planes, trucks and vans in order to ship billions of items all around the world.
Amazon workers in its Seattle HQ have been vocal in criticising some of the company’s practices, pushing it to do more to combat climate change.
Mr Bezos said in the post he will call his new initiative the Bezos Earth Fund. An Amazon spokesman confirmed Mr Bezos will be using his own money for the fund.
Despite being among the richest people in the world, Mr Bezos only recently became active in donating money to causes as other billionaires like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have done. Mr Bezos, who founded Amazon 25 years ago, has a stake in the company that’s worth more than $100bn (£77bn).