Against global warming, Jeff Bezos creates a "fund for the earth"

Text by: RFI Follow

Jeff Bezos announced Monday February 17 the creation of a “Bezos fund for the earth” intended to fight against climate change. It will be endowed with an initial sum of $ 10 billion, from the personal fortune of the president of Amazon. An announcement that comes while the firm is criticized for its environmental policy.

Publicity

Ten billion dollars is a big sum, but for Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, it represents less than 8% of his fortune estimated at 130 billion dollars. Its " land fund " should help finance scientists, activists, NGOs and " any effort that offers a real opportunity to help preserve and protect the natural world, " said Jeff Bezos.

" We can save the earth, " says the billionaire , who pleads for collective action by companies, states, global organizations but also private individuals. Its first grants should be awarded this summer.

Responding to Critics

The announcement comes less than a month after more than 300 Amazon employees collectively posted criticism of their group, calling for a more ambitious commitment to the environment.

The e-commerce giant is often questioned for its carbon footprint . Its huge farms of servers used for storing dematerialized information, the famous cloud , also consume a lot of energy. Without forgetting its fast deliveries around the world thanks to which the group has built its success. A system based on a huge logistical network of road transport and which generates a lot of greenhouse gases.

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• Economy
• United States
• Environment

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