Jeff Bezos surprises everyone with a shocking announcement: the founder of Amazon, the richest man on the planet, has decided that he will launch a 10 billion fund to finance projects and research on the theme of climate change. It is certainly not Bezos who discovers that environmental protection and climate change are the paradigms (including financial ones) of the moment, but the novelty is that the US tycoon will invest the monstrous amount out of his own pocket. In fact, ten billion dollars are not a small figure even when compared to his immense wealth: it is still 9% of the total, which Bezos has decided to put in common, thus enrolling himself in the race to see who is the most generous philanthropist. , alongside the likes of Warren Buffett, George Soros and Bill Gates.
The maxi fund, which will be operational from next summer, will be called Bezos Earth Fund and will have, as the entrepreneur explained in a post on Instagram, "ten billion dollars to start with", thus not excluding that the investment could become even higher along the way. “This worldwide initiative – explains Bezos – will finance scientists, activists, NGOs and any kind of effort that can offer a real possibility to help preserve and protect the environment. The fund will appeal to large companies, small companies, nations, global organizations and individuals alike because the Earth is the only thing we have in common and we must protect it together."
The noble initiative turns out to be the most consistent effort made by Bezos to date in the field of philanthropic activities, but this was not enough to avoid controversy. In the past, in fact, the founder of Amazon has been repeatedly criticized both for how little he would have donated, compared to other billionaires, and for the little commitment shown so far in terms of environmental sustainability. The Anglo-Saxon press, in addition to stinging Bezos on the subject of taxes and the exploitation of workers, has not failed to recall that Amazon distributes something like a billion parcels every year in the United States alone, while Amazon Web Services consumes an enormous amount of electricity power the very powerful cloud computing servers that are the basis of its success.
However, the richest man on the planet defended, and it could not be otherwise, the Washington Post, a newspaper of which he is the editor and which specified on the eve of a round of strikes in Amazon for climate change, Bezos had already signed the "climate pledge", a commitment to use 2030% renewable energy by 100 and to become carbon neutral in 2040. While a fleet of 2021 electric vehicles for parcel deliveries should enter service from 100. Furthermore, in the field of charitable activities, according to WP Bezos has already allocated 2 billion to help the homeless and finance asylums.
