Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon 25 years ago, has committed US$10 billion of his own fortune to help fight climate change.
Bezos, the world’s richest man, (his Amazon stake is worth more than $100 billion) said in an Instagram post that he’ll start giving grants this summer to scientists, activists and non-profits working to protect 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,” Bezos said in his post.
Of course, Amazon, has an enormous carbon footprint. The online retailer relies on fossil fuels to power planes, trucks and vans in order to ship billions of items all around the world.
Last year, Amazon officials said the company would work to have 100 per cent of its energy use come from solar panels and other renewable energy by 2030.
Amazon workers in its Seattle headquarters have been vocal in criticising some of the company’s practices, pushing it to do more to combat climate change.
Bezos said in the post that he will call his new initiative the Bezos Earth Fund.
Bezos is a newcomer to the world of philanthropy joining the likes of other multi-billionaires like Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Warren Buffett.
In 2018, Bezos started another fund, committing $US2 billion ($A3 billion) of his own money to open preschools in low-income neighbourhoods and give money to non-profits that help homeless families.
So you can stop wondering what the world’s richest man could possibly do with all that money!
