Jeff Bezos will spend $10 billion of his own money to go after climate change

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced Monday that he was committing $10 billion of his personal fortune to fight climate change with the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund. 

The announcement was made on Instagram.

"Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet. I want to work alongside others both to amplify known ways and to explore new ways of fighting the devastating impact of climate change on this planet we all share," Bezos posted.

No details were made available about the fund or its composition. It seems likely to be a charitable organization along the same lines as two others launched previously by Bezos. They are the Day 1 Families Fund, which focuses on shelter and food for young families, and the Day 1 Academies Fund, which operates nonprofit full-scholarship Montessori preschools in underserved communities. 

In his Instagram post, Bezos said the international initiative would fund scientists, activists, nonprofits and other non-governmental organizations working to offer a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world.

Grants will begin to be issued this summer.

No information was available on where the fund would be based, who would lead it or how groups would go about applying for these grants. However, this type of announcement is not uncommon for Amazon and Bezos, both of which tend to release few immediate details about large projects, only filling them in later. 

While it's not known what types of work to fight climate change Bezos is likely to invest in, the Amazon founder is famously known for his focus on data-driven outcomes. He also tends to be personally involved in the charities he runs.

"We can save Earth, his post said. "It’s going to take collective action from big companies, small companies, nation states, global organizations, and individuals." 

Bezos is the richest person in the world, worth an estimated $130 billion according to the Forbes Billionaires List. His investment in the Bezos Earth Fund is about 7% of his personal fortune. 

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