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By Suzanne Blake
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Jeff Bezos' climate philanthropy is back in the spotlight after the Bezos Earth Fund announced more than $25 million in new ocean conservation grants across five Pacific Island nations.
This will support efforts to protect more than 625,000 square miles of ocean as part of the fund's broader $100 million "Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity" initiative to protect 30 percent of the region's waters by 2030.
“Every kid falls in love with the ocean before anyone tells them it’s in trouble. I was that kid. I still am. This summer I spent time in the Pacific, and the water was everything you’d imagine. But what I keep coming back to is the people. Out there, the ocean isn’t just a beautiful view. It’s the road, the pantry, the backyard. They’ve been protecting it for generations because their lives depend on it. Nobody had to explain the stakes to them. So, this is us backing what they’ve already been doing. Five nations. Protection that lasts for generations to come,” Lauren Sánchez Bezos, vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, said in a statement.
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However, the grants are coming at the same time there’s been heightened scrutiny of whether Bezos' environmental giving can really offset the environmental footprint of Amazon.
While the Bezos Earth Fund has distributed roughly $2.4 billion since 2020 and pledged a total of $10 billion by 2030, Amazon's greenhouse-gas emissions climbed to 80.85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2025, and environmental groups have continued to raise concerns about the company's contribution to plastic pollution that can harm marine ecosystems.
"This story shows a basic misunderstanding of the facts," Margaret Callahan, a spokesperson for Amazon, told Newsweek. "Amazon and the Bezos Earth Fund aren't connected or affiliated."
Callahan also said Amazon's own sustainability work is well documented, with the company having reduced carbon emissions per shipped unit by 7 percent year over year in 2025 "even as the company delivered more packages to more customers."
The spokesperson added that Amazon now operates more than 52,700 electric delivery vans globally and its data centers are seven times more water-efficient than the industry average.
Why It Matters
There’s been a larger debate over billionaire philanthropy in recent months.
While the Bezos Earth Fund is directing billions of dollars toward climate solutions and ocean preservation, many question whether philanthropy can actually compensate for the environmental impacts of Amazon, a global retail and logistics titan that ships billions of packages annually.
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What Is the Bezos Earth Fund?
Bezos launched the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020 with a pledge to spend $10 billion combating climate change and protecting nature by 2030.
The organization funds projects focused on clean energy, biodiversity, sustainable food systems, conservation, climate innovation and environmental research.
Since 2020, around $2.4 billion has been awarded through more than 370 grants, leaving more than $7 billion still to be distributed before the end-of-decade deadline.
Purpose of New $25M Pacific Conservation Grants
The latest grants will fund ocean conservation efforts in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu.
According to the Bezos Earth Fund, the money will help establish new marine protected areas, and conserve critical habitats. It will also go toward supporting fisheries management and advance some of the first conservation proposals under the U.N. High Seas Treaty.
The Earth Fund has said the grants are intended to help protect at least 30 percent of Pacific waters by 2030.
However, Arif Gasilov, partner at Gasilov Group, a U.S.-based sustainability consultancy, said much of the work cannot combat the harm of Amazon’s emissions.
“I believe that the emissions are really quite damaging because they are a large factor in the warming and acidification that no real marine reserve can fight against,” Gasilov told Newsweek. “On the other hand, the grants do indeed shield the reefs from fishing. But if the emissions and packaging end up in the marine reserves or the reefs, it's essentially all for naught.”
How Much Has the Bezos Earth Fund Given Away So Far?
While Bezos pledged $10 billion to climate causes, the pace of this spending has become a topic of public discussion.
The Earth Fund has granted about $2.4 billion since its launch, or roughly just one-quarter of its total commitment. That leaves more than $7 billion to be distributed over the next four years if the organization is to meet its 2030 target.
Christina Lindley, founder of VPRG Consulting, pushed back on the new investments. “Funding marine conservation does not erase damage created through packaging, shipping or the incentives built into the core business [of Bezos's company Amazon],” Lindley told Newsweek.
Amazon's Environmental Footprint, by the Numbers
While Bezos' individual philanthropy through the Earth Fund focuses heavily on climate and conservation, Amazon remains one of the world's largest corporate emitters.
According to Amazon's most recent sustainability reporting, the company generated approximately 80.85 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in 2025. That was a 16 percent increase from the previous year, and supply-chain activities accounted for about 76 percent of that footprint.
“Amazon’s footprint is immense, but so is the opportunity if this capital is used for systems change,” Sabrin Rahman, sustainability and finance expert at Human Planet, told Newsweek. "A $10 billion commitment can matter a lot, but only if it helps unlock far larger shifts in markets, policy, and behavior."
Carbon Emissions
Amazon has also said it remains committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 through its Climate Pledge initiative. The company also said that carbon emissions per shipped unit have fallen 39 percent since 2019 and that it now operates more than 52,700 electric delivery vans globally.
However, its total emissions continue to rise as the company expands its logistics operations and AI-driven cloud infrastructure.
“I believe that despite the fund spending the money, Amazon's emissions will still rise as data center buildout continues,” Gasilov said.
Plastic Pollution Concerns
A 2024 Oceana report estimated that Amazon generated 208 million pounds of plastic packaging waste in the United States in 2022, a 9.6 percent increase from Oceana's estimate for 2021.
The report also said that as much as 22 million pounds of Amazon's global plastic packaging waste could ultimately enter waterways and seas.
Oceana has previously said that plastic film, commonly used in shipping materials, is among the deadliest forms of plastic pollution for marine animals and urged Amazon to further reduce plastic packaging globally.
“Oceana is calling on Amazon to phase out plastic packaging in its largest market — the United States — and make a company-wide commitment to reduce the total amount of plastic packaging it uses by at least one-third by 2030,” the organization said in 2024.
What Happens Next
The $25 million Pacific conservation announcement could help protect more than 625,000 square miles of ocean and support long-term marine biodiversity projects.
However, Amazon's environmental footprint still represents tens of millions of metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions and hundreds of millions of pounds of packaging material.
“Bezos cannot reverse Amazon’s impact through grants alone if the company’s growth model continues creating the same external costs,” Lindley said. “The strongest form of corporate responsibility is not paying to repair damage after the fact. It is redesigning the business so less damage is created in the first place.”
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins
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