When we think about some of the largest conglomerates in the world, the first name that comes to most people¡¯s minds is Amazon. The one-stop-destination that can help you shop for almost anything and get it delivered to your doorstep the very next day.?
However, this has also been something that environmentalists around the world have been concerned about -- the e-commerce giant, in its day to day functioning releases a ton of carbon every day, causing catastrophic damage to the environment.?
To help make the planet a better place, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had announced in February that he would offer $10 billion as a part of Earth Fund from his very own pocket to help fund scientists working on eliminating climate change and end the crisis that humanity is on the track to experience.?
And now, it has picked organizations to receive the first $791 million out of the $10 billion. Bezos announced this through an Instagram post, stating, ¡°I¡¯ve spent the past several months learning from a group of incredibly smart people who¡¯ve made it their life¡¯s work to fight climate change and its impact on communities around the world. I¡¯m inspired by what they¡¯re doing, and excited to help them scale.¡±
He added, ¡°Today, I¡¯m pleased to announce the first Bezos Earth Fund recipients¡ª16 organizations working on innovative, ambitious, and needle-moving solutions. This $791 million in donations is just the beginning of my $10 billion commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, and others. We can all protect Earth¡¯s future by taking bold action now.¡±?
The 16 organisations Bezos has picked include The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, ClimateWorks Foundation, Dream Corps Green For All, Eden Reforestation Projects, Energy Foundation, Environmental Defense Fund, The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, Natural Resources Defense Council, The Nature Conservancy, NDN Collective, Rocky Mountain Institute, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, The Solutions Project, Union of Concerned Scientists, World Resources Institute, and World Wildlife Fund.
Hopefully, they will get to work and help repair some of the damage caused to the planet by big corporations -- including Bezos' own. Only time will tell us how successful they are, of course.