Climate change is one of the most pressing issues in the world at the moment, even with COVID-19 dominating the headlines. We’re told it’s a collective effort to fight climate change, but it raises the question—what about the world’s richest people?
The average person can do their part, whether it be driving less or recycling the right items, but the super-rich have huge influence and the potential to really change things.
Keep reading as we take a look at what some of the richest people in the world are doing to fight climate change.
Elon Musk
We’ll start with someone who most people will know as a co-founder of Tesla, the world’s most famous electric car manufacturer. Straight off the bat, we can see that Elon Musk is making a difference.
Traditional cars are a huge part of the reason for global warming, and Tesla is truly pioneering the way to more environmentally-friendly vehicles that are still fun to drive.
Aside from this, he also has stakes in SolarCity, which also provides an alternative to fossil fuels. He’s also put his influence to good use, advocating for a carbon tax in the United States.
Jeff Bezos
The founder and CEO of Amazon is the richest man in the world. He is worth a staggering $188.5 billion.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. The pledge has been signed by over 100 other corporations and this number is likely to increase, meaning it will make a serious contribution to fighting climate change.
Aside from Amazon’s climate change commitments, the billionaire also set up the Bezos Earth Fund, which aims to support companies developing zero-emmisions tech.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates may be the most well-known billionaire ever. As the founder of Microsoft, he has amassed a fortune upwards of $130 billion.
Through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, charitable donations of around $50 billion have been made, so it’s clear that he doesn’t keep all his money to himself. But what about climate change?
Well, he’s renowned as one of the most passionate and outspoken advocates for climate change, and has pledged billions of dollars toward making Microsoft carbon-negative by 2030.
Mark Zuckerberg
One thing we can say about Zuckerberg straight off the bat, is that he has one-upped a few of his fellow big-businessmen, because his company (Facebook) has already achieved net-zero carbon status for its emissions.
This doesn’t include indirect emissions like luxurious business trips, but the aim is to hit net zero for these by 2030.
In terms of his personal position, Zuckerberg has aligned himself with the other big names in this list, committing to tackling climate change.
Billionaires Unite to Fight Climate Change
It’s good to know that some of the richest people in the world can agree that climate change is a cause worth fighting for, so much so that it is reflected in the way they run their companies.
Each of these men have made promises to fight climate change both on a corporate and a personal level, and has put targets in place to achieve this goal.
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