Jeff Bezos fund ends support for climate group amid fears billionaires ‘bowing down’ to Trump | Jeff Bezos
Jeff Bezos Climate Fund and Biological Diversity of $ 10 billion She has stopped financing for one of the most important organizations of issuing climate certificates in the world, amid wider concerns of American billionaires “Bennon to Trump” and anti -movement.
The Bezos Earth Fund has stopped its support for the SBTI objective initiative, an international body that evaluates if Paris Agreement. The Earth Fund was one of two main financiers in SBTI, with the IKEA Foundation: the two It represents 61 % Of its total financing last year. The Earth Fund’s decision was I mentioned for the first time by FT.
Speakers of the Earth Fund and SBTI said 18 million dollars (14.5 million pounds) was a three -year commitment grant, as it was previously agreed, and the Earth Fund did not make a final decision on future support. But researchers familiar with SBTI, as well as the organization’s advisers, raised fears that vanishing support was part of a wider direction for wealthy individuals to move away from the reasons for financing by the US President – who previously described climate change – a trick – does not agree with.
“You look at Bezos and the people who are hanging with them in the billionaire club, and you realize that this is more than SBTI,” said Professor Doreen Strinski, who is in the technical council of SBTI. “Bezos bends to Trump in a way that decreases a handful of billionaires to Trump.”
Stabinsky said that Bezos’s decision “is not surprising at all” since it previously arrested the Washington Post – which he owns – is taking the position of support for presidential candidates.
It came as the scholars described “”Stress and fearOn Donald Trump’s executive orders to reduce federal grant funds. The climate crisis also mentioned It has been removed or reduced Through the sites of the United States government. Stabinsky said: “Trump’s climate is just one of those very visible things, on his radar, a very part of his letters-antibiotic work, which company does any company that does something clear about climate change,” said Stabinsky.
Before the opening of Trump last month, the United States Six larger banks resigned Safi Zero Group in the Global Banking Industry. Kelly Stone, chief policy analyst at Activeaid Usa, said that the transition to SBTI financing was “really disappointing, but it is not particularly surprising at this stage,” describing it as “part of the corporate wave” of giving up green aspirations. “We are witnessing a significant retreat from many of these climate pledges from the largest actors in companies and finances,” she said.
“On how this affects green investment in general, investments in energy transitions, because it is clear that the signal from Washington is now very strong that renewable energies and other types of scratch Carbon or low -carbon approaches are installed actively.
In April of last year, SBTI announced plans for Allow companies to use carbon compensation From the volunteer carbon market for indirect emissions, in a step, some believed to be affected by the Earth’s Bezos box. Provoke Indoor anger at employeesWho said they were not consulted, and they warned that he opened the door to washing green.
“I think there are two things in playing. One of them is that Bezos, or Bezos Earth box, finally decided that they were not in this position, or were not ready to support, which is the criterion based on science because of the challenges in that. Second, The political climate changed in Washington – they did not want to draw attention to these types of obligations. “
A SBTI spokesman said: “A three -year nursery was designed to SBTI in 2021 by Bezos Earth Fund to help us expand the necessary pace to meet the extraordinary demand for our services. The grant ended in 2024 as it originally agreed,” said SBTI.
A spokesman for Bezos Earth Fund said: “In 2021, the Bezos Earth fund provided a three -year grant for SBTI to build capacity, which ended in December 2024 as it originally agreed. There was no change in the relationship between the Earth Fund and SBTI. SBTI did not require additional funding from the Earth Fund. As a result, the Earth Fund has not made any decision regarding more funding. “
