The Bezos Earth Fund has pledged $2 billion to help restore nature and transform food systems as part of its $10 billion commitment to fight climate change, improve nature, and advance environmental justice and economic opportunity.The $2 billion dollar pledge adds to a $1 billion pledge for nature which was announced in September at the Climate Week NYC, according to the Fund’s press statement.
The $3 billion in total allocated to nature will drive a new, three-fold agenda focused on nature conservation, landscape restoration, and food-systems transformation as announced by Bezos at the conference.
What Bezos is saying
Speaking on the funding, Bezos said that investing in nature is essential to combat climate change for a prosperous world.
“Our commitment today supports a three-fold imperative – we must conserve what we have, restore what we’ve lost, and grow what we need in harmony with nature. 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,” Bezos said.
The press release by the Bezos Earth Fund announced that the work will help drive critical outcomes that include climate benefits, food security, job creation, economic growth, soil fertility, and improved connectivity between protected areas to protect biodiversity, as it partners with Africa-owned partners.It said, “One billion dollars in funding will support landscape restoration, with an initial focus on Africa and the U.S. Restoration efforts in Africa will include planting trees on degraded landscapes, revitalizing grasslands, and integrating trees into farmland. This work will help drive critical outcomes that include climate benefits, food security, job creation, economic growth, soil fertility, and improved connectivity between protected areas to protect biodiversity.
“The Bezos Earth Fund will partner with Africa-owned partners, including AFR100, to deliver these benefits at scale. In the U.S., funding will be dedicated to the restoration of more than 20 landscapes that sequester high levels of carbon, protect biodiversity, and deliver community benefits. Forty percent of the funds allocated to U.S. nature efforts will directly engage or benefit underserved communities.“The other $1 billion will help transform food and agricultural systems to support life without degrading the planet. The Bezos Earth Fund will allocate funds to support a range of urgent imperatives, including raising crop yields while shrinking the agricultural footprint, sharply reducing food loss and waste, shifting diets towards plant-based sources, and making agricultural supply chains more sustainable.”The press release further stated that the $2 billion fund announced will be disbursed by 2030. It said: “In line with the Bezos Earth Fund’s $10 billion commitment timeline, the funds announced today will be disbursed by 2030. In distributing grants, the Earth Fund will focus on regions and countries where needs and opportunities are greatest, and where commitments to conserving and restoring nature— while prioritizing local communities—are strongest.”
What you should know
Since the launch of Bezos Earth Fund in February, the program has made multiple announcements of grant recipients in total of $3.9 billion.
At the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Bezos also commended the efforts of the Nigerian President towards the restoration of nature, stating that Nigeria plays a critical role in the restoration movement and has pledged to restore 4 million hectares of degraded lands. He noted also that this kind of ambition coming from Africa’s largest economy underscores just how vital this issue is.