COP26: Jeff Bezos pledges $2 billion for 'restoring nature and transforming food systems'

During a speech at the COP26 climate summit, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday, November 2, pledged $2 billion towards “restoring nature and transforming food systems”. The multi-billionaire told the climate conference in Glasgow that his 10-minute flight on his Blue Origin rocket this past July had helped him grasp nature’s fragility. He said that in too many parts of the world, nature is already flipping from a carbon sink to a carbon source. 

“I was told that seeing the earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world,” Bezos said.

“But I was not prepared for just how much that would be true. Looking back at Earth from up there the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and so fragile. Now, in this critical year and what we all know is the decisive decade, we must all stand together to protect our world,” he added. 

Announcing the $2 billion pledge, Bezos further said that two-thirds of Africa’s productive land was degraded but this could be reversed. He told COP26 that restoration can improve soil fertility, raise yields and improve food security, make water more reliable, create jobs and boost economic growth, while also sequestering carbon. He also added that the private sector had a pivotal role to play in this campaign. 

“We must conserve what we still have, we must restore what we’ve lost and we must grow what we need to live without degrading the planet for future generations,” Bezos said.

Amazon committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2040 

Moreover, in his remarks, Bezos also added that Amazon’s ‘Climate Pledge’ committed the company to become carbon neutral by 2040. Amazon aims to power all its operations with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025, and is working to convert its delivery fleet to electric vehicles, he said. Bezos even added that 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.

It is to mention that Bezos’ pledge is part of the efforts of his Bezos Earth Fund, to which he has given $10 billion. As per a press release, half of the money that the Amazon founder pledged would go towards landscape restoration in Africa and the US. The rest would be spent on reducing the carbon footprint of food production and cutting food waste. The $2 billion would be handed out by 2030, the Bezos Earth Fund added. 

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