Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos has pledged $10 billion (€9.2 billion) to help fight climate change.
Bezos said the money will be used to help scientists, activists, NGOs, and “any effort that offers a real possibility” to help preserve the earth and protect it from the impacts of climate change.
“I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change,” he said.
“This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world. We can save Earth. It’s going to take a collective effort from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organisations, and individuals.”
In a post on social media, Bezos said the fund would start distributing grants this summer.
However, further details about the fund remain scant and there’s no information just yet on how or when applications for the grants will be accepted.
Bezos is worth about $130 billion, so committing $10 billion to the fund represents just shy of 8% of his fortune.
He’s not well known for his philanthropy compared to some other tech billionaires, but he did donate $2bn in 2018 to help homeless families and fund schools.
However, Bezos and his company have come under criticism in recent weeks after they threatened to fire employees who spoke about the company’s role in the housing crisis.
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