Jeff Bezos’ $10 billion Earth Fund faces scrutiny as Amazon’s greenhouse gas emissions surge 54% since 2018, making it the worst climate polluter among major tech firms.
While the fund promotes carbon offset markets and “climate-friendly” technologies, Amazon where Bezos remains executive chairman increasingly relies on carbon credits to counter its growing environmental footprint from energy-hungry AI and cloud operations.
This dual role raises conflict-of-interest concerns, particularly after the Earth Fund cut ties with the Science-Based Targets initiative when it rejected Amazon’s offset demands last year.
The Earth Fund, now led by former Amazon AI executive Tom Taylor, channels millions into carbon credit infrastructure, including satellite monitoring systems developed with Meta.
Yet these initiatives enable Amazon’s controversial carbon-neutralization strategy: creating its own certification standard, launching a trading platform, and investing in forest projects accused of land grabs from Brazil to Ghana.
“Carbon offsets are a dangerous distraction,” notes one agricultural advocacy group, pointing to community displacements linked to such schemes.
With $7 billion still to deploy, the fund’s agriculture investments, like lab-grown meat and patented forage crops, prioritize freeing land for carbon sequestration over systemic change.
As AI-driven emissions balloon, critics argue Bezos’ philanthropy legitimizes Amazon’s pollution while advancing corporate control over global food and climate systems.
Can $10 billion truly “fix” the climate crisis when it protects a $2.4 trillion polluter?
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Source: newsghana.com.gh
