【Epoch Times News, February 6, 2025】- The $10 billion charitable foundation established by Jeff Bezos, the founder and chairman of the American internet giant Amazon, has ceased its support for a climate standard-setting organization.
Currently, the operations of this climate standard-setting organization are facing increasing scrutiny and difficulties in maintaining support.
Three informed sources revealed to the Financial Times that the Bezos Earth Fund has terminated its support for the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). SBTi is a globally renowned organization that sets net zero carbon emission standards for companies, providing certifications for achieving net zero emissions to companies like Apple and H&M.
In recent years, various non-profit climate organizations have become increasingly reliant on funding from tech billionaires. The Bezos Earth Fund, established by the founder of Amazon five years ago, aims to help scientists, activists, and non-governmental organizations find solutions to climate and environmental issues. The fund has been one of the largest supporters of SBTi, providing $18 million in funding to SBTi in 2021.
However, last year, concerns arose among SBTi staff about the influence from the Bezos fund. The Financial Times previously reported that the fund, along with John Kerry, the former U.S. climate envoy, supported convincing SBTi to allow companies to widely use controversial carbon credits.
Nevertheless, the Bezos fund previously told the Financial Times that it had not “struck a deal” with SBTi and had not taken a position on carbon offsets.
Two individuals familiar with the funding relationship speculated that one reason the Bezos fund partially suspended its support for SBTi after December 2024 was Bezos’ desire not to antagonize Trump.
Bezos, along with other tech company executives like Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, is actively working to establish connections with the Trump administration.
Trump has previously stated that climate change is a hoax. The climate change industry has been marginalized.
One source stated, “In the past, tech billionaires would regularly establish foundations, many of whom were interested in climate issues. I can’t imagine that in the United States today, anyone concerned about potential losses would take action on climate change issues carefully.”
Meanwhile, according to insiders, this global climate standard-setting organization is also distancing itself from the influence of the Bezos fund. A third individual familiar with the funding relationship stated that “SBTi has been working to diversify its funding sources… they are considering other funding sources.”
The Bezos Earth Fund stated that they will continue to focus on their work and mission. SBTi stated, “Our donors will not interfere with our standard-setting process nor attempt to do so.”
Another individual remarked, “Evidently, Jeff Bezos and tech companies are not the same as they were eight years ago… they were more inclined to oppose then, and now they are at least attempting to work closely with the (current Trump) administration.”
The CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, Andrew Steer, announced on Saturday (February 1) that he will step down after nearly four years at the helm of the organization. He previously praised Bezos and his partner Lauren Sánchez as a “constant source of creativity, insight, and support.”
Steer stated in a podcast on energy transition last month that the fund has already allocated $25 billion, some of which has been used to help climate organizations professionalize. He remarked, “Frankly, some mainstream environmental groups still have quite a strong anti-capitalist tradition,” including opposition to using carbon markets as a solution to climate problems.
Luiz Amaral, the former CEO of SBTi, stepped down last year following internal disagreements surrounding carbon credit issues. David Kennedy, a partner at Ernst Young accounting firm, is set to take over his position in the second quarter of this year. A source close to SBTi indicated that Kennedy will assess the organization’s scale and future funding sources.
Since its inception, the Bezos fund has become one of the most generous donors to several climate organizations, including the World Resources Institute previously operated by Steer.
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, a carbon accounting oversight agency managed by the World Resources Institute, has received funding from the Bezos fund along with companies like Amazon, Meta, and Google.
The World Resources Institute expressed their expectation to continue collaborating with the Bezos fund “as everything remains the same.” An individual close to the World Resources Institute stated that the organization is evaluating the broader impact of Trump freezing U.S. foreign aid on climate charity work. The source mentioned, “The world is undergoing monumental changes… we are striving to uncover the truth amidst all this.”
On January 20, shortly after Trump took office, the White House announced in an email outlining the new government’s priorities that “President Trump will withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement.” That evening, Trump formally signed an executive order to exit the Paris Climate Agreement.
A White House statement declared, “For decades, with wise policies that do not limit private sector activities, the United States has achieved economic growth, raised workers’ wages, increased energy production, reduced air and water pollution, and lowered greenhouse gas emissions. The United States has successfully pursued both economic and environmental goals, which should serve as a model for other countries.”
Trump views climate change as a “hoax” and believes this agreement harms America and its business, labor, people, and taxpayers. During his first term, Trump pulled the U.S. out of nearly 200 countries signed onto the Paris Climate Agreement. After Democrat Biden took office, the U.S. swiftly re-entered in 2021.
During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump promised to withdraw once again, claiming that this global carbon emission reduction plan cannot be implemented and is a gift to Communist China and other major polluters.
Trump’s move, similar to when he first exited the agreement, has drawn criticism from environmental organizations and scholars, who believe that the U.S. exiting the agreement will “severely impact global climate governance efforts.”