Jeff Bezos has already pledged USD 10 billion to fight climate change under Bezos Earth Fund. The world’s richest man has now said that he would give USD 1 billion this year to conserve land and aquatic ecosystems. Amazon founder and chairman had started Bezos Earth fund last year and has pledged to donate the above-mentioned amount to activists, scientists, and others who are working to address the issues of climate change. The Amazon founder has set the goal of spending this fund by 2030. Following the announcement of funds for conservation, Bezos is likely to support activists working towards landscape restoration and food system transportation.
According to Bezos Earth Fund, the latest round of grants will be used to ‘create, expand, manage and monitor areas on earth that are protected and conserved.’ The fund is planning to start with the Congo Basin in Central Africa. This has been a key area of biodiversity and carbon stocks. Apart from this, the fund will focus on the tropical Pacific Ocean and tropical Andes Basin. Bezos said that the world was much better 500 years ago and efforts should be made to restore that beauty. “500 years ago, we enjoyed unspoiled forests, breathed fresh air, have clean rivers. Everything was better than today. We can and we must reverse this anomaly,” he said in a statement.
The grant has been announced but it is not clear which organization will get this. But one thing is sure that it would be prioritized in those areas where local communities and indigenous populations are the main focus of the conservation programs. Bezos Earth Fund said that there are certain other things that will be considered while giving the fund. Meanwhile, the fund has announced that it would give around USD 203 million to organizations taking forward climate justice among other causes. The fund will be given by the end of this year. The fund had awarded around USD 791 million in grants last year. This grant was distributed among 16 organizations. Among the prominent names that received the fund are the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy.
