Sep 19, 2019 - Technology

Jeff Bezos promises Amazon will hit carbon neutrality 10 years early

Erica Pandey, author of @Work

Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP/Getty Images

Jeff Bezos announced Amazon’s Climate Pledge — to hit the Paris climate accord goal of carbon neutrality in 2040, 10 years early — Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Why it matters: More than 1,000 Amazon employees in Seattle plan to walk out Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike, CNBC reports. And over 8,200 have signed an open letter to Bezos to lower Amazon's carbon footprint.

  • "We've been in the middle of the herd on this issue, and we want to move to the forefront," Bezos said.

As part of Amazon's plan, Bezos commits to...

  • Speaking with CEOs of other major companies to get them to sign the Climate Pledge.
  • Adding 100,000 electric delivery vehicles to Amazon's fleet by 2024. The cars will be built by Rivian, an EV startup in which Amazon has invested.
  • Regularly measuring and reporting Amazon's emissions.
  • Working with Amazon's suppliers and third-party deliverers to get them to cut their carbon emissions.
  • Getting to 100% renewable energy in Amazon's facilities and operations by 2030.

The bottom line: "We're going to take a hard look at our own campaign contributions, and if there are any climate deniers in there, we're going to have very carefully at that," Bezos said.

Go deeper: The climate stakes of speedy delivery

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