Jeff Bezos Pledges $2 Billion to Battle Climate Change After Flying to Conference on Private Jet The Amazon founder's grant program, known as the Bezos Earth Fund, will allocate a total of $10 billion to environmental protection.
By Amanda Breen
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On Tuesday, Amazon founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos announced a $2 billion pledge to battle climate change at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, which he flew to on his private jet.
The $2 billion commitment is part of a larger $10 billion pledge from the Bezos Earth Fund, which aims to "enhance nature and advance environmental justice and economic opportunity" by 2030, according to Bezos.
"Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative — we must conserve what we have, restore what we've lost and grow what we need in harmony with nature," the billionaire continued. "Investing in nature through both traditional and innovative approaches is essential to combat climate change, enhance biodiversity, protect the beauty of the natural world and create a prosperous future."
The $2 billion commitment will be added to the $1 billion pledge announced in September at Climate Week NYC. The total funds will be allocated to nature conservation, landscape restoration and food-systems transformation, the press release states.
Related: Prince William Slams Space Billionaires, Says We Need to Focus on Saving Earth
The billionaire has repeatedly called climate change the "biggest threat" to the Earth, and he's credited his recent travel to the edge of space, which first took place in July aboard a rocket designed by his aerospace company Blue Origin, with altering his perspective on the planet.
"Nature is beautiful but it is also fragile," Bezos said at the climate conference. "I was reminded of this in July when I went into space with Blue Origin. I was told seeing the earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be true."
Bezos wasn't the only leader to arrive at the climate-change conference via private jet, spurring accusations of hypocrisy. Per BBC News, the aviation analytics company Cirium said 76 private jets touched down in and around Glasglow in the four days leading up to the start of the conference.
These flights produce greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), by burning fuel, which contributes to global warming.
Related: Over 100 Thousand Sign Petition to Not Allow Jeff Bezos to Return to Earth After He Goes to Space
