Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announces the co-founding of The Climate Pledge at the National Press Club on September 19, 2019 in Washington.
Paul Morigi | Getty images | Amazon
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Tuesday named the head of a major environmental study group as the CEO of his $ 10 billion Earth Fund.
In an Instagram post, Bezos said Andrew Steer, who currently serves as president and CEO of the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit environmental organization, has agreed to lead the Earth Fund.
“Lauren and I are thrilled to have Andrew on board and are very excited about what’s to come for the Fund and our partners,” wrote Bezos in the post, referring to his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. Sanchez participated in previous meetings with beneficiaries of the Terrestrial Fund, said the Terrestrial Fund.
The Earth Fund, launched last February, aims to combat the effects of climate change by issuing subsidies to scientists, activists and other organizations in their efforts to “preserve and protect the natural world”. Last November, Bezos announced the first recipients of the Earth Fund, with groups receiving $ 791 million in donations. Among the beneficiaries were Nature Conservation, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.
Bezos actively participated in the interview process and hired Steer, the Earth Fund said. In addition to leading the World Resources Institute, Steer has close ties to global groups focused on environmental and economic issues, in addition to having held senior positions at the World Bank.
In a series of tweets, Steer said that the Earth Fund will invest in scientists, NGOs, activists and in the private sector to promote the development of new technologies, investments, policy and behavior changes. One of the main focuses of the Earth Fund, which Bezos hopes to “spend less” between now and 2030, will be around the impacts of climate change on “poor and marginalized communities,” said Steer.
Steer’s appointment comes at a time when Bezos is expected to step down as CEO of Amazon later this year, handing over to AWS CEO Andy Jassy. Bezos is expected to pay more attention to projects like Earth Fund, his space company Blue Origin, The Washington Post and Amazon Day 1 Fund.