Amazon announces global warming plan

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos at a Washington conference announces a gigantic new climate change plan. It is called The Climate Pledge. Consistent with this “vow,” Amazon will dramatically reduce its carbon footprint in the coming years, and ultimately become a carbon-neutral campaign. Amazon intends to comply with the Paris Agreement 10 years ahead of schedule.

At least 80% of the IT giant’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2024, and zero emissions will become by 2030. This is the most ambitious program among large companies, especially considering what gigantic emissions (44.4 million tons per year - due to AWS, trucks and everything else) Amazon generates now. She is far ahead of Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and FedEx. Most of it is generated only by oil and gas producing companies. Now it will change dramatically.

However, Amazon itself says that such serious emission figures - more than almost all competitors - they only because the company takes them into account more accurately. For example, they even count the emissions of customers who needed to get cars to their Whole Foods stores. Still, this also affects the amount of CO ₂ in the atmosphere, and this is also caused by the influence of their business, albeit indirectly.

Bezos promised that Amazon will continue to regularly measure and report on their progress in reducing emissions, and will begin to implement decarbonization strategies that will offset any emissions that remain. He also invited all companies to join his “climate vow.”

“Now we have a really critical situation,” said Cristiana Figueres, a former UN secretary on climate change, joining Bezos on stage. “The time for games is over. It's time to act. "

True, some have doubts about how much Bezos himself is delighted with such an idea. Especially considering that it will cost the company dozens, or rather, even hundreds of billions of dollars. His statement came out the day before thousands of Amazon employees gathered to protest instead of work, criticizing the company for polluting the environment and supporting the interests of oil companies.

It was planned to yield 15,500 workers. They wanted to support mass demonstrations before the UN summit on climate normalization, which will be held on September 23 in New York. This protest was called Global Climate Strike, and uses a scheme invented by students: instead of lessons (in this case, work), go to a demonstration to express their dissatisfaction with the inaction of the government on the issue that, in their opinion, determines their future.

Prior to this, in April, 8 thousand Amazon employees had already written an open letter to Bezos, asking him to develop a plan to combat global warming. Like, they don’t want to work for a company that does so much harm to our planet. Now, six months later, the head of the corporation was forced to agree.

The new demands of the protesting employees were very similar to what Bezos announced:

1. Zero air emissions by 2030. Delivery of goods - exclusively by electric trucks. Start testing them first in those regions that are most affected by Amazon pollution.
2. Zero Amazon Web Services Contracts for Mining Companies. Working with AWS can make oil and gas production faster and lower their price, and this is not at all the effect that activists want.
3. Zero funding for politicians and lobbyists who deny global warming. For example, in 2018, the company sponsored a minimum of 68 members of Congress who in 100% of cases voted against legislation to help combat climate change.

For almost all of these points, Bezos eventually made concessions.

As you can see, if the change is supported by a sufficient number of employees, and they are ready to start taking measures, it becomes difficult for the head of the company to disagree with them.

The reality, however, is said to be harsh for Amazon now. The company has one of the largest and most developed infrastructures in the world. And each of its elements to some extent emits greenhouse gases.

To begin with, according to the plan, Bezos will attack the most noticeable link in the chain - delivery. For this, a sharp transition to electric cars begins. He says he has already ordered 100,000 trucks from Rivian startup. The poor startup, probably in complete shock: he suddenly received a contract of at least $ 6 billion (and other experts believe that about $ 15 billion). This is the largest order for electric cars in history. It is estimated that switching to electric traction will allow Amazon to avoid the emission of 4 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The new trucks will be tested by the company on the roads starting in 2021. The first 10,000 will be delivered by the end of 2022, a full transition to them is scheduled for the 2024th. They will be built at the former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois.

The truck has not even been developed yet, it exists only in the form of renders, but it has already been ordered in unprecedented quantities

At the conference, Bezos announced that the company now receives 40% of its energy from renewable sources - thanks to the construction of 15 huge solar and wind power plants.

Amazon is also allocating $ 100 million to the Nature Conservancy charity to support forests. As befits a company with its name, support will also include restoration of the Amazon forests.

The IT giant will also share its “advanced” emission calculation system with other corporations that are interested in reducing their carbon footprint.

However, Jeff Bezos left one demand of activist employees unanswered. Amazon, under his leadership, will continue to contract with oil and gas companies. He explained his decision:

We will help them make the transition as painless as possible. They must have the best tools. Asking them to move into a new age with bad technology is not a good idea.

A group of employees responded to the company's new environmental commitments on Twitter, calling it a “huge victory,” which is still “not enough”:

Today - we celebrate. Tomorrow - we continue to fight.

The ultimate goal of the Paris Agreement is to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius. A more ambitious option included in the program is to stop at 1.5 º, which will allow avoiding a lot of cataclysms. To achieve this goal, all countries must become carbon neutral by 2050.

Recently, many states have begun to move away from the principles of the Paris Agreement for the sake of their own economic benefits (the classic prisoner's dilemma ). Including - China, Canada, Russia and now America under Donald Trump. Bezos’s actions show that even if the state does not comply with the principles of the agreement, the leaders of large successful companies (as well as their employees) can take part of the effort into their own hands.

“We were unremarkable in environmental matters,” Bezos said in Washington, urging other organizations to join his project and set similar goals. “Now we want to be among the leaders.”