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AFP
Washington
Amazon chief Jeff Bezos pledged on Thursday the US technology and retail giant would become carbon neutral by 2040 and encourage other firms to do the same, in a bid to help meet the goals of the Paris climate accord 10 years early.
“We want to use our scope and our scale to lead the way,” Bezos told a news conference in the US capital, aiming to shake off the firm’s reputation as a laggard on environmental issues.
Amazon announced its “Climate Pledge” initiative and said it would be its first signatory as part of an effort to reduce emissions in line with a 2050 goal for carbon neutrality set by the Paris agreement.
“We’re done being in the middle of the herd on this issue,” Bezos said. “If a company with as much physical infrastructure as Amazon -- which delivers more than 10 billion items a year -- can meet the Paris agreement 10 years early, then any company can.”
Bezos said he had spoken with other CEOs of global companies, and noted “I’m finding a lot of interest in joining the pledge.”
As part of the ramped-up effort, Bezos said Amazon had agreed to purchase 100,000 electric delivery vans from vehicle startup Rivian, to help cut its carbon footprint. Amazon previously announced a $440 million investment in Rivian.
The first vans will hit the road in 2021, with the fleet to be fully operational in 2030. Amazon also pledged to invest $100 million on reforestation efforts in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy.
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20/09/2019
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