A Guide to Spending Bezos’s New Climate War Chest
The money would go far in politics, but it will also allow for technological experimentation and will take a fundraising burden off recipients.
Jeff Bezos at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 19, 2019.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergJeff Bezos just announced he will commit $10 billion to fight climate change. That’s both a lot, and not much at all.
It’s a lot compared with other private climate funding. In fact, it’s more than anyone else is currently spending on climate. By comparison, the Hewlett Foundation, the single largest private climate funder before Bezos, gives around $100 million per year. Total private U.S. climate giving is around $500 million. Bezos’s commitment, if run as a foundation, would double that amount—more if spent down over time, a good idea in itself.