The Climate Pledge
In an earlier draft of this letter, I started this section with arguments and examples designed to demonstrate
that human-induced climate change is real. But, bluntly, I think we can stop saying that now. You don’t
have to say that photosynthesis is real, or make the case that gravity is real, or that water boils at 100 degrees
Celsius at sea level. These things are simply true, as is the reality of climate change.
Not long ago, most people believed that it would be good to address climate change, but they also thought
it would cost a lot and would threaten jobs, competitiveness, and economic growth. We now know better.
Smart action on climate change will not only stop bad things from happening, it will also make our
economy more efficient, help drive technological change, and reduce risks. Combined, these can lead to
more and better jobs, healthier and happier children, more productive workers, and a more prosperous future.
This doesn’t mean it will be easy. It won’t be. The coming decade will be decisive. The economy in 2030 will
need to be vastly different from what it is today, and Amazon plans to be at the heart of the change. We
launched The Climate Pledge together with Global Optimism in September 2019 because we wanted to
help drive this positive revolution. We need to be part of a growing team of corporations that understand
the imperatives and the opportunities of the 21
st
century.
Now, less than two years later, 53 companies representing almost every sector of the economy have signed
The Climate Pledge. Signatories such as Best Buy, IBM, Infosys, Mercedes-Benz, Microsoft, Siemens, and
Verizon have committed to achieve net-zero carbon in their worldwide businesses by 2040, 10 years ahead of
the Paris Agreement. The Pledge also requires them to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a
regular basis; implement decarbonization strategies through real business changes and innovations; and
neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially beneficial
offsets. Credible, quality offsets are precious, and we should reserve them to compensate for economic
activities where low-carbon alternatives don’t exist.
The Climate Pledge signatories are making meaningful, tangible, and ambitious commitments. Uber has a
goal of operating as a zero-emission platform in Canada, Europe, and the U.S. by 2030, and Henkel plans to
source 100% of the electricity it uses for production from renewable sources. Amazon is making progress
toward our own goal of 100% renewable energy by 2025, five years ahead of our initial 2030 target. Amazon
is the largest corporate buyer of renewable energy in the world. We have 62 utility-scale wind and solar
projects and 125 solar rooftops on fulfillment and sort centers around the globe. These projects have the
capacity to generate over 6.9 gigawatts and deliver more than 20 million megawatt-hours of energy annually.
Transportation is a major component of Amazon’s business operations and the toughest part of our plan
to meet net-zero carbon by 2040. To help rapidly accelerate the market for electric vehicle technology, and to
help all companies transition to greener technologies, we invested more than $1 billion in Rivian – and
ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from the company. We’ve also partnered with Mahindra in India and
Mercedes-Benz in Europe. These custom electric delivery vehicles from Rivian are already operational, and
they first hit the road in Los Angeles this past February. Ten thousand new vehicles will be on the road as
early as next year, and all 100,000 vehicles will be on the road by 2030 – saving millions of metric tons of
carbon. A big reason we want companies to join The Climate Pledge is to signal to the marketplace that
businesses should start inventing and developing new technologies that signatories need to make good on
the Pledge. Our purchase of 100,000 Rivian electric vans is a perfect example.
To further accelerate investment in new technologies needed to build a zero-carbon economy, we introduced
the Climate Pledge Fund last June. The investment program started with $2 billion to invest in visionary
companies that aim to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy. Amazon has already announced
investments in CarbonCure Technologies, Pachama, Redwood Materials, Rivian, Turntide Technologies,
ZeroAvia, and Infinium – and these are just some of the innovative companies we hope will build the zero-
carbon economy of the future.
I have also personally allocated $10 billion to provide grants to help catalyze the systemic change we will
need in the coming decade. We’ll be supporting leading scientists, activists, NGOs, environmental justice
organizations, and others working to fight climate change and protect the natural world. Late last year, I made
my first round of grants to 16 organizations working on innovative and needle-moving solutions. It’s going