Amazon announces $2 billion 'Climate Pledge Fund' to accelerate decarbonization

[Polycount]

In brief: Amazon is deepening its commitment to clean energy, according to a newly-published company blog post. In the post, the retail giant unveiled its plan to invest $2 billion in the Climate Pledge Fund, a pool of money that will help select companies achieve their clean energy goals.

More specifically, the fund's coffers will give "visionary companies" the cash they need to "facilitate the transition" to what Amazon calls a low-carbon economy. Though Amazon avoided naming any specific corporations that will participate in that transition, it did say the fund will primarily focus on industries like transportation and logistics, energy generation, storage, and manufacturing.

It's not clear what companies will be receiving this funding -- if any, so far -- nor do we have a timeline for when Amazon will disburse the cash, but corporate leaders can send the retailer "indications of interest" via email right now.

Amazon also used its latest blog post to reiterate its commitment to the Climate Pledge, which lays out several climate-related targets that participating companies aim to hit by various deadlines.

For example, as part of the pledge, involved companies (including Amazon) will power their operations through 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 (5 years sooner than previously planned), and they will strive to reach "net zero carbon" by 2040.

The former goal is particularly ambitious (for a company the size of Amazon, anyway), so it will be interesting to see whether or not it proves realistic over the coming years.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/85745-amazon-announces-2-billion-climate-pledge-fund-accelerate.html

 

[texasrattler]

I know climate change is important but why dont people ever invest in schools, police, fire dept etc... These are needed even more right now. People always pledging millions to stuff that really either doesnt matter right now or no one gives a crap about.

The rich could change a area over night with proper funding and could change a country around in a heartbeat. Sad times when a country is hurting n the ppl who could change it do nothing.

The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

The real problem is exponential human population growth...but no one wants to talk about the "E word".

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I know climate change is important but why dont people ever invest in schools, police, fire dept etc... These are needed even more right now. People always pledging millions to stuff that really either doesnt matter right now or no one gives a crap about.

The rich could change a area over night with proper funding and could change a country around in a heartbeat. Sad times when a country is hurting n the ppl who could change it do nothing.

The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

To be perfectly honest, I work in budgeting and if you actually saw how little goes into education of individual students and how much gets eaten up by corporations selling schools equipment they don't need, administrator pensions and redundant jobs, you'd realize that just putting more money into the "education industrial complex" will solve nothing.

Example: Most kids have smartphones and tablets (whether they should or not). So long as they can read, they have access to all the encyclopedia, dictionary, history, etc,etc,etc in the history of man in the palm of their hand.

But they aren't watching Warren Buffet, McLaughlin Group, PBIS or anything educational unless they are absolutely forced to. They are watching Pewdiepie and Movlogs.

Autodidactic education is more accessible and cheaper than any time in human history.

 

[VitalyT]

How do you unfart something?

 

[psycros]

Amazon should take one for the team and close up shop.

 

[wiyosaya]

I know climate change is important but why dont people ever invest in schools, police, fire dept etc... These are needed even more right now. People always pledging millions to stuff that really either doesnt matter right now or no one gives a crap about.

The rich could change a area over night with proper funding and could change a country around in a heartbeat. Sad times when a country is hurting n the ppl who could change it do nothing.

The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

There are charities out there that support education - https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.categories&categoryid=3
Add to that scholarships, and things like some universities pay the tuition for PhD candidates plus give them a stipend, too.

The issue of climate is more in the news, however, it is not all that hard to find those who support education. For instance - https://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/US-Program/K-12-Education

And, though crApazon is by far one of my least favorite companies, they are giving to educational programs - https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a...y-students-amid-covid-19-outbreak/ar-BB12e1Xj

Coming from a background where I felt lost in the education system, as high-school / grammar school were far too easy for me, I think, in general, the education system in the US is in serious need of updating. That is starting to happen, but from my viewpoint, it is not happening quickly enough.

 

[EClyde]

Welcome to the Third World. People are so gullible. Climate change is a hoax to control you

 

[wiyosaya]

Regardless of what any of us thinks about climate change, the world is moving to drop carbon-based fuels. To quote Kosh from Babylon 5, "The avalanche has started. It's too late for the pebbles to vote."

For me, it is not hard to argue that there are good things that will result from leaving carbon-based fuels behind. One of those benefits is the reduction in air pollution. Without dropping carbon-based fuels, since the Clean Air act was passed in 1970, there has been a many-fold return on the costs of implementing cleaner technology. https://www.epa.gov/transportation-...ents-and-success-air-pollution-transportation

There are more ways than one where evil can enter the world. IMO, pollution of all kinds is one of those if not the worst one of those; I, for one, am happy to see the reduction in pollution so far, and it will be interesting to see the reduction in pollution as the world moves to eliminate the use of carbon-based fuels.

 

[scavengerspc]

Welcome to the Third World. People are so gullible. Climate change is a hoax to control you

You flirt you. I'll bet you say that to all the hope for future improvement.

For me, it is not hard to argue that there are good things that will result from leaving carbon-based fuels behind. One of those benefits is the reduction in air pollution.

Think about the power balance worldwide as fossil fuels fade. That would automatically remove Russia and the Middle East from any power they hold over the world now, and both are way behind even the US in renewables.

Who knows, maybe their future biggest customers will be themselves.

 

[treetops]

Damn you for making the air cleaner grrr! ahhhhhh! lol

 

[Thanthan]

Or you could Pay taxes Amazon. Just a thought. Fairly sure tax revene would amount to a lot more than 2 billion if you cared to pay it.

 

[Thanthan]

I know climate change is important but why dont people ever invest in schools, police, fire dept etc... These are needed even more right now. People always pledging millions to stuff that really either doesnt matter right now or no one gives a crap about.

The rich could change a area over night with proper funding and could change a country around in a heartbeat. Sad times when a country is hurting n the ppl who could change it do nothing.

The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

WHILE I get your point, the climate might be more relevant right now than most of that. There are a lot of things one can ALWAYS fix, indeed a lot of what you mention ed should ALREADY have been fixed. The climate situation needs fixing right now, yesterday would have been better, but right now Will have to do.

 

[Uncle Al]

I know climate change is important but why dont people ever invest in schools, police, fire dept etc... These are needed even more right now. People always pledging millions to stuff that really either doesnt matter right now or no one gives a crap about.

The rich could change a area over night with proper funding and could change a country around in a heartbeat. Sad times when a country is hurting n the ppl who could change it do nothing.

The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.

It's a good question but the directly answer is that if we don't address the climate issues & quickly, there won't be a species around to use all those other things and as far as "right now", the climate issues were "right now" decades ago and the need continues to grow exponentially.

 

[USAvenger]

Welcome to the Third World. People are so gullible. Climate change is a hoax to control you

That sounds like infidel talk to me. You shall be forced to wash your clothes in 2 ounces of water only on Saturday night at 11 pm and flush your toilet only once every 10 days as penance for your transgressions against the Church of Climate Change.

 

[BadThad]

Welcome to the Third World. People are so gullible. Climate change is a hoax to control you

Agree to some extent. The climate is changing but it's part of earths natural cycle and man cannot change mother nature. Sadly, politicians and academia have taken advantage of the ignorance of most of society and twisted climate change into a power and money-making scheme.

That said, I have ZERO PROBLEMS with companies taking on clean energy initiatives and funding "green" stuff out of their own pockets. This is a TRILLION times better than having corrupt politicians cram it down our throats legislatively and using tax payer money to enrich their friends (I.e. Obama).

 

[candle_86]

Regardless of what any of us thinks about climate change, the world is moving to drop carbon-based fuels. To quote Kosh from Babylon 5, "The avalanche has started. It's too late for the pebbles to vote."

For me, it is not hard to argue that there are good things that will result from leaving carbon-based fuels behind. One of those benefits is the reduction in air pollution. Without dropping carbon-based fuels, since the Clean Air act was passed in 1970, there has been a many-fold return on the costs of implementing cleaner technology. https://www.epa.gov/transportation-...ents-and-success-air-pollution-transportation

There are more ways than one where evil can enter the world. IMO, pollution of all kinds is one of those if not the worst one of those; I, for one, am happy to see the reduction in pollution so far, and it will be interesting to see the reduction in pollution as the world moves to eliminate the use of carbon-based fuels.

I will not give up my gasoline powered cars for inefficient low range garbage electric.

 

[Evernessince]

Agree to some extent. The climate is changing but it's part of earths natural cycle and man cannot change mother nature. Sadly, politicians and academia have taken advantage of the ignorance of most of society and twisted climate change into a power and money-making scheme.

That said, I have ZERO PROBLEMS with companies taking on clean energy initiatives and funding "green" stuff out of their own pockets. This is a TRILLION times better than having corrupt politicians cram it down our throats legislatively and using tax payer money to enrich their friends (I.e. Obama).

Climate change already takes into consideration the earth's carbon cycle. It has been shown over thousands of studies that the billions of tons of of extra carbon being dumped into the atmosphere is over what the earth's carbon cycle can naturally contain. Carbon is a greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. More carbon = more trapped heat. Unless you are going to debate that carbon is in not a greenhouse gas, the fact is irregardless of other factors like the earth naturally changing temperature, it is an undeniable fact that a portion of that change is due to the increased carbon.

 

[wiyosaya]

Agree to some extent. The climate is changing but it's part of earths natural cycle and man cannot change mother nature. Sadly, politicians and academia have taken advantage of the ignorance of most of society and twisted climate change into a power and money-making scheme.

That said, I have ZERO PROBLEMS with companies taking on clean energy initiatives and funding "green" stuff out of their own pockets. This is a TRILLION times better than having corrupt politicians cram it down our throats legislatively and using tax payer money to enrich their friends (I.e. Obama).

If you are thinking that humans cannot change the climate, perhaps you should consider one of many cases where humans are affecting the planet. One place to start with that might be the plastic islands in both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. Then, move on to the plastic particles that fall in the rain - literally everywhere it rains on Earth.

Let's not forget, too, that there are animals out there that mistake that plastic for food. As I see it, its a belief that humans cannot change mother nature as it is happening in many ways right now.

God may have said he would not smite the Earth again; however, I challenge you to find a bible quote that says God would not let humans smite the Earth. As I see it, humans need to learn how to take care of the planet just like a child needs to learn not to touch a hot stove with its bare hands.

 

[wiyosaya]

I will not give up my gasoline powered cars for inefficient low range garbage electric.

Good luck with that.

 

[wiyosaya]

The real problem is exponential human population growth...but no one wants to talk about the "E word".

IMO, one cannot have a rational talk about population growth without a rational talk about waste because that argument about population growth, from my experience, is based on the growing population not having enough to sustain itself. So, it only seems logical to eliminate waste before considering the extreme measures of people who usually bring up population growth.

 

[wiyosaya]

Or you could Pay taxes Amazon. Just a thought. Fairly sure tax revene would amount to a lot more than 2 billion if you cared to pay it.

While I agree with most of what you have said, I am not so sure that it would go to better use in the current government.

 

[wiyosaya]

You flirt you. I'll bet you say that to all the hope for future improvement.

Think about the power balance worldwide as fossil fuels fade. That would automatically remove Russia and the Middle East from any power they hold over the world now, and both are way behind even the US in renewables.

Who knows, maybe their future biggest customers will be themselves.

Great point. Let's hope that if that happens, it will be for the greater good of all instead of the power granted being used for abusive purposes as happens in many cases where great power is found.

I think that argument may also make the issue more palatable to our friends on the political right.

 

[scavengerspc]

I will not give up my gasoline powered cars for inefficient low range garbage electric.

Nothing is more efficient than an electric vehicle. There will be someday, but I guarantee it won't be powered by gasoline.

My 2019 Ram 2500 4WD with a 6.4 litre Hemi and 32-gallon tank gets right around 340 miles on a full tank. $64 worth of gas. A Tesla Model 3 goes 225-260 miles on a full charge. With its 75 kWh battery, it would cost $9.75 to charge from 0%.

Less than $10 to travel let's say 250 miles. Sounds pretty efficient to me.

 

[scavengerspc]

Great point. Let's hope that if that happens, it will be for the greater good of all instead of the power granted being used for abusive purposes as happens in many cases where great power is found.

I think that argument may also make the issue more palatable to our friends on the political right.

I don't know brother. Trumpanzees love Russia.