No statements, no back-and-forth, Jeff Bezos just sold $2 billion of Amazon stock to ‘save the world’

According to Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos has just sold about $ 2 billion in Amazon shares after pledging to spend this money to restore nature and change the food system. This money will be transferred to his Bezos Earth fund for implementation allocation.

According to US Securities and Exchange Commission filings, Bezos sold 608,450 Amazon shares. Thus, this year alone, the Amazon founder sold $ 8.6 billion worth of shares.

The world’s second-richest man continues to hold 10% of Amazon shares, worth $196 billion, according to Bloomberg statistics.

The Amazon founder used the money from the stock sale to fund the rocket company Blue Origin. In addition, he also pledged $ 10 billion to pour into the Bezos Earth Fund to help combat the effects of climate change on the Earth. In his latest statement, Bezos wants to spend $1 billion to support natural recovery with an initial focus on Africa and the US. The remaining $1 billion is for the food system and agriculture.

Amazon shares are up 3.9% this year after gaining 76% last year as people increasingly rely on online shopping during the pandemic.

Within the framework of the COP26 event taking place in Glasgow, Scotland, Prince Charles played an important role in convincing Jeff Bezos to invest in efforts to green Africa.

This is Jeff Bezos’ billion-dollar effort to support the implementation of the Great Green Wall project, which aims to plant 20 million trees across the width of Africa and prevent desertification. Bezos told leaders at COP26: “We all know this is the decade of decision, but if we don’t act, it will turn into a decade of hesitation. We can’t let that happen, let’s see it. We are allies in this important mission.”

The Bezos Earth Fund began planning to provide grants as early as summer 2020, but there are currently few details about the fund. So it is not yet clear how and when these subsidies will be accepted.

Mr. Bezos’ Instagram post last year said the money would be used to help scientists, environmentalists, NGOs and “any other efforts to raise money”. possible solutions” to help protect the earth from the effects of climate change. A source with The Verge said the fund will not engage in private investment, but will focus entirely on humanitarian purposes.

This shows that Mr. Bezos’ way of participating in the fight against climate change is also different from that of Microsoft co-founder, billionaire Bill Gates. In 2016, Bill Gates and other investors created a $1 billion climate fund dedicated to supporting startups whose products can solve energy’s toughest technological challenges. clean.