With the debate of climate change on the tip of virtually everyone's lips, many wonder just how Earth is going to prevail within the decades to come. Those willing to embark on an ambitious fight against this polarizing problem know that it will take a great deal of money to finance any sort of the change in the right direction. Luckily, the defenders of this planet's wellbeing have gained massive support from a certain mega-billionaire.
During a climate conference in Glasgow, Amazon titan and space traveler Jeff Bezos pledged to donate a whopping $2 billion to help preserve nature and revive the food system negatively impacted by the harmful, manmade footprint left on Earth.
The Bezos Earth Fund has already set out to funnel $10 billion into building a more healthy world. When the fund was founded last year, it gave nearly $800 million in grants to organizations such as the Environmental Defense Fund and The Nature Conservancy - with funds ranging from $5-$100 million. Earlier this year, the fund distributed another $203.7 million in grants. The funds are set to be distributed by 2030.
Though this time, it's a little different. This time, Bezos is digging into his own pockets as he pledges to donate $2 billion from his personal fortune.
"Nature is beautiful, but it is also fragile," the billionaire explains to U.N. members at this week's COP26 climate conference, "I was reminded of this in July when I went into space with Blue Origin. I was told seeing the Earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be true."
Bezos goes on to share his enthusiasm for taking part in an African spearheaded strategy to 'effectively ramp up support for restoration on the continent'. He points out the depletion within two-thirds of the continent's productive land. He looks to assist in reviving Africa's soil fertility to improve the continent's food and water supply. He also adds that endeavors to refurbish the environment would provide even more jobs to the continent.
"Each year, forests and landscapes absorb 11 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. As we destroy nature, we reverse this process. In too many parts of the world, nature is already flipping from a carbon sink to a carbon source," Bezos heeds to the conference audience, "This is a profound danger to us all."