WASHINGTON: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has named Andrew Steer, who leads environmental think tank World Resources Institute, as the president and chief executive officer of his $10 billion Earth Fund.
The billionaire started the Bezos Earth Fund last year and committed $10 billion to fund scientists, activists, nonprofit organizations and other groups fighting to protect the environment and counter the effects of climate change.
Steer has years of experience in environmental and climate science as well as economic and social policy in the United States, Europe, Asia and Africa, Bezos said in an Instagram post.
“Lauren and I are thrilled to have Andrew aboard and very energized about what lies ahead for the Fund and our partners,” Bezos wrote in the post, referring to his girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez. Sanchez has participated in previous meetings with Earth Fund recipients.
Amazon, which delivers 10 billion items a year, has a massive transportation and data center footprint, and the e-commerce giant has faced criticism from within its own workforce for the impact that the company has on the environment.
Bezos in February said he would step down as the chief executive officer of Amazon and focus on his other passions which include the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund and Blue Origin.
The Earth Fund, launched last February, is designed to combat the effects of climate change by issuing grants 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 worth of grants. Among the recipients were the Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Resources Institute.
In a series of tweets, Steer said the Earth Fund will invest in scientists, NGOs, activists and the private sector to further development of new technologies, investments, policy change and behavior.
One key focus of the Earth Fund, which Bezos hopes to “spend down” between now and 2030, will be around climate change’s impacts on “poor and marginalized communities,” Steer said.
Steer’s appointment comes as Bezos is slated to step down as CEO of Amazon later this year, turning the helm over to Andy Jassy. Bezos is expected to turn more of his attention to projects like the Earth Fund, his Blue Origin space company, The Washington Post and the Amazon Day 1 Fund.
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