The NBC, ABC, and CBS morning shows on Tuesday all excitedly cheered the news that Amazon CEO and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos would devote billions of dollars to fighting climate change. The networks also made sure to point out that Bezos was bowing to pressure from left-wing climate activists working at Amazon.
“The world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, says he wants to save the Earth,” co-host Craig Melvin proclaimed on NBC’s Today show. Correspondent Joe Fryer informed viewers: “Jeff Bezos out with his next big idea, announcing a multibillion dollar effort to fight climate change, calling it the Bezos Earth Fund.”
The reporter hyped: “The Amazon founder wrote on Instagram, ‘This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world. We can save Earth.’”
Fryer touted how left-wing activists hounded Bezos on the issue:
That pledge came just one day before thousands of Amazon employees walked off the job as part of a global climate strike. The group has criticized Amazon’s tech contracts with oil and gas companies and alleged retaliation against workers who voice concerns about the company’s environmental impact. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice reacted to the Bezos new Earth Fund in a statement, writing, “We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away.”
After the report, Melvin observed: “Bezos is worth roughly $130 billion. So this is, you know, one-tenth of his worth. But still, I mean, ten billion dollars, a lot of money.” Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie worried it was not enough: “That will have some impact, but also what Amazon does and its practices will also have a huge impact.”
“We have a big announcement from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The world’s richest man is now promising to donate $10 billion of his personal fortune toward fighting climate change, with the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund,” declared co-host Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America.
She then reminded: “You may remember last September outraged employees walked out, claiming Amazon’s policies and practices were detrimental to the climate. Amid the protests, Bezos made a promise to pledge $3 billion and work toward improving the company’s carbon emissions.”
On CBS This Morning, correspondent Vladimir Duthiers similarly boosted the effort: “Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he will use $10 billion of his own money to combat climate change....He explained that the global initiative will fund scientists, activists, and any efforts ‘to help preserve and protect the natural world’ from what he calls the biggest threat to our planet.”
Like his NBC and ABC colleagues, Duthiers promoted the radical climate activists behind the move: “Bezos, let me remind you, he’s got a net worth of $130 billion – billion dollars, and he has faced some heat from critics who say he’s not doing enough with his charitable work, along with his extraordinary wealth.”
Co-host Gayle King rushed to defend the wealthy Amazon founder: “You know, I always love it when people try to tell you how to spend your money. He does what he wants to do and he’s doing a lot of good things in the world too, let’s not forget that.”
Fellow co-host Tony Dokoupil fretted that much more money needed to be spent, particularly government money: “He’s got a lot of money, he does. But let me remind you also that Morgan Stanley did a study and said climate change is going to cost $50 trillion. So he’s a rich guy, but doesn’t have that kind of money, except governments.”
Co-host Anthony Mason chimed in: “Climate change is a huge threat to business.”
Duthiers agreed as he praised Bezos: “It really is. And the fact that he’s recognizing that and putting his billions of dollars to try to combat that is, I think, a good thing.” King quickly added: “Yeah, how about, ‘Thank you, Jeff Bezos.’ He doesn’t have to do anything and he’s doing that. That’s a big deal.”
When the left pushes a CEO like Bezos into taking on a liberal cause, the media are always there to celebrate.
Here is a full transcript of the February 18 report on NBC’s Today show:
8:04 AM ET
CRAIG MELVIN: The world’s richest man, Jeff Bezos, says he wants to save the Earth. The Amazon founder announcing that he is going to spend a staggering $10 billion to fund efforts to fight climate change. Here’s NBC’s Joe Fryer.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Jeff Bezos’ $10 Billion Pledge; Amazon CEO Commits 10% of Net Worth to Fight Climate Change]
JEFF BEZOS: So think about this, big things start small.
JOE FRYER: Jeff Bezos out with his next big idea, announcing a multibillion dollar effort to fight climate change, calling it the Bezos Earth Fund. The Amazon founder wrote on Instagram, “This global initiative will fund scientists, activists, NGOs – any effort that offers a real possibility to help preserve and protect the natural world. We can save Earth.” Bezos says he’ll commit an initial ten billion dollars and will immediately start issuing financial grants this summer.
BEZOS: We have to work together to meet these goals, it has to be done that way.
FRYER: Late last year, Bezos co-founded The Climate Pledge for businesses, committing Amazon to net zero carbon emissions by 2040 and 100% renewable energy by 2030, along with ordering 100,000 fully electric delivery vehicles.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN [AMAZON EMPLOYEES FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE]: We won't be silenced.
GROUP: We won't be silenced.
GROUP: We won't be silenced.
FRYER: That pledge came just one day before thousands of Amazon employees walked off the job as part of a global climate strike. The group has criticized Amazon’s tech contracts with oil and gas companies and alleged retaliation against workers who voice concerns about the company’s environmental impact. Amazon Employees for Climate Justice reacted to the Bezos new Earth Fund in a statement, writing, “We applaud Jeff Bezos’ philanthropy, but one hand cannot give what the other is taking away.”
For Today, Joe Fryer, NBC News.
MELVIN: Bezos is worth roughly $130 billion. So this is, you know, one-tenth of his worth. But still, I mean, ten billion dollars, a lot of money.
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: That will have some impact, but also what Amazon does and its practices will also have a huge impact.
Here is a full transcript of the report on ABC’s GMA:
8:05 AM ET
ROBIN ROBERTS: We have a big announcement from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The world’s richest man is now promising to donate $10 billion of his personal fortune toward fighting climate change, with the creation of the Bezos Earth Fund.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Jeff Bezos’ $10 Billion Pledge; Amazon CEO Announces Donation to Fight Climate Change]
You may remember last September outraged employees walked out, claiming Amazon’s policies and practices were detrimental to the climate. Amid the protests, Bezos made a promise to pledge $3 billion and work toward improving the company’s carbon emissions.
MICHAEL STRAHAN: Hopefully $10 billion goes a long way.
ROBERTS: Hopefully so.
Here is a full transcript of the report on CBS This Morning:
7:49 AM ET
VALDIMIR DUTHIERS: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says he will use $10 billion of his own money to combat climate change. Bezos announced the Bezos Earth Fund in a post on Instagram yesterday, because everybody posts on social media when you have a big announcement. He explained that the global initiative will fund scientists, activists, and any efforts “to help preserve and protect the natural world” from what he calls the biggest threat to our planet.
Bezos, let me remind you, he’s got a net worth of $130 billion – billion dollars, and he has faced some heat from critics who say he’s not doing enough with his charitable work, along with his extraordinary wealth.
GAYLE KING: You know, I always love it when people try to tell you how to spend your money. He does what he wants to do and he’s doing a lot of good things in the world too, let’s not forget that.
DUTHIERS: Yes.
ANTHONY MASON: He makes Michael Bloomberg look poor. [Laughter]
TONY DOKOUPIL: He’s got a lot of money, he does. But let me remind you also that Morgan Stanley did a study and said climate change is going to cost $50 trillion. So he’s a rich guy, but doesn’t have that kind of money, except governments.
DUTHIERS: That’s right. The $10 billion is about 7.5% of his current net worth. So it’s not a drop in the bucket, but –
MASON: Climate change is a huge threat to business.
DUTHIERS: It really is. And the fact that he’s recognizing that and putting his billions of dollars to try to combat that is, I think, a good thing.
KING: Yeah, how about, “Thank you, Jeff Bezos.” He doesn’t have to do anything and he’s doing that. That’s a big deal.
DUTHIERS: Exactly.
