Amazon commits $3 million for nature-based projects in India from $15 million APAC fund allocation
This allocation is part of Amazon’s $100 million ‘Right Now Climate Fund’, established in 2019, to bolster nature conservation and restoration initiatives
- Sep 4, 2023,
- Updated Sep 4, 2023 6:38 PM IST
US-based retail giant Amazon has unveiled a $15-million commitment toward nature-based solutions in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The first $3 million from the fund’s APAC allocation will support nature-based projects in India.
“The Asia-Pacific region is home to vast forests and rich coastal environments, but it is also highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. To protect the region from the impacts of climate change and preserve biodiversity, we will need both large-scale and local action – and we’re committed to investing in both,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Global VP for Sustainability.
This allocation is part of Amazon’s $100 million ‘Right Now Climate Fund’, established in 2019, to bolster nature conservation and restoration initiatives aimed at strengthening climate resilience and biodiversity, the company said in a statement.
In its inaugural Indian initiative, Amazon is collaborating with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to bolster community engagement and conservation efforts within the Western Ghats. This UNESCO World Heritage Site houses over 30 per cent of India's diverse wildlife species, including the world's largest populations of wild Asiatic elephants and tigers.
The company said its contribution of $1 million will help CWS establish the “Wild Carbon” program, which aims to assist 10,000 farmers in planting and nurturing one million fruit-bearing, timber and medicinal trees.
As per the company, projects are selected based on their potential positive impact on local communities and livelihoods, as well as the magnitude and tangibility of benefit to the environment. Amazon plans to announce further investments in projects located in India and other APAC countries in coming months.
In 2019, Amazon established The Climate Pledge, a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s schedule. The initiative has garnered over 400 signatories spanning 55 industries and 38 countries, who collaborate on initiatives aimed at preserving the environment and facilitating the adoption of decarbonisation technologies. Among the signatories are nine Indian companies, namely BluPine Energy, CSM Technologies India, Godi, Greenko, HCL, Infosys, Mahindra Logistics, Tech Mahindra, and UPL.
In 2022, Amazon launched six substantial utility-scale projects in India. According to the company, it is actively progressing towards the objective of achieving 100 per cent renewable energy for its global operations by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target. These projects include three wind-solar hybrid installations situated in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, along with three solar farms in Rajasthan. This collective effort results in a renewable energy capacity of 920 megawatts. Notably, Amazon India has also pledged to incorporate 10,000 electric vehicles into its delivery fleet by 2025.
Other nature programmes it supports in APAC include creation of International Blue Carbon Institute in Singapore, an initiative by Amazon and Conservation International that aims to mitigate climate change and protect coastal communities. It supports the restoration and protection of coastal and marine carbon ecosystems, known as “blue carbon” ecosystems, in Southeast Asia and beyond.
In Europe, the Right Now Climate Fund has allocated €20 million to nature-based projects, such as a nature and wildlife restoration fund in France, a reforestation programme in Italy, an urban greening programme in Germany, rewilding and tree planting projects in the UK, and the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbines off the coast of the Netherlands. Additionally, Amazon has funded forest conservation and restoration in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator program in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, and is a founding member of the LEAF Coalition, a global public-private initiative working to mobilise over $1 billion to protect the world's tropical rainforests.
US-based retail giant Amazon has unveiled a $15-million commitment toward nature-based solutions in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The first $3 million from the fund’s APAC allocation will support nature-based projects in India.
“The Asia-Pacific region is home to vast forests and rich coastal environments, but it is also highly vulnerable to climate change, biodiversity loss and land degradation. To protect the region from the impacts of climate change and preserve biodiversity, we will need both large-scale and local action – and we’re committed to investing in both,” said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s Global VP for Sustainability.
This allocation is part of Amazon’s $100 million ‘Right Now Climate Fund’, established in 2019, to bolster nature conservation and restoration initiatives aimed at strengthening climate resilience and biodiversity, the company said in a statement.
In its inaugural Indian initiative, Amazon is collaborating with the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) to bolster community engagement and conservation efforts within the Western Ghats. This UNESCO World Heritage Site houses over 30 per cent of India's diverse wildlife species, including the world's largest populations of wild Asiatic elephants and tigers.
The company said its contribution of $1 million will help CWS establish the “Wild Carbon” program, which aims to assist 10,000 farmers in planting and nurturing one million fruit-bearing, timber and medicinal trees.
As per the company, projects are selected based on their potential positive impact on local communities and livelihoods, as well as the magnitude and tangibility of benefit to the environment. Amazon plans to announce further investments in projects located in India and other APAC countries in coming months.
In 2019, Amazon established The Climate Pledge, a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement’s schedule. The initiative has garnered over 400 signatories spanning 55 industries and 38 countries, who collaborate on initiatives aimed at preserving the environment and facilitating the adoption of decarbonisation technologies. Among the signatories are nine Indian companies, namely BluPine Energy, CSM Technologies India, Godi, Greenko, HCL, Infosys, Mahindra Logistics, Tech Mahindra, and UPL.
In 2022, Amazon launched six substantial utility-scale projects in India. According to the company, it is actively progressing towards the objective of achieving 100 per cent renewable energy for its global operations by 2025, five years ahead of the initial 2030 target. These projects include three wind-solar hybrid installations situated in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, along with three solar farms in Rajasthan. This collective effort results in a renewable energy capacity of 920 megawatts. Notably, Amazon India has also pledged to incorporate 10,000 electric vehicles into its delivery fleet by 2025.
Other nature programmes it supports in APAC include creation of International Blue Carbon Institute in Singapore, an initiative by Amazon and Conservation International that aims to mitigate climate change and protect coastal communities. It supports the restoration and protection of coastal and marine carbon ecosystems, known as “blue carbon” ecosystems, in Southeast Asia and beyond.
In Europe, the Right Now Climate Fund has allocated €20 million to nature-based projects, such as a nature and wildlife restoration fund in France, a reforestation programme in Italy, an urban greening programme in Germany, rewilding and tree planting projects in the UK, and the world’s first commercial-scale seaweed farm located between offshore wind turbines off the coast of the Netherlands. Additionally, Amazon has funded forest conservation and restoration in the Appalachian Mountains in the United States, the Agroforestry and Restoration Accelerator program in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, and is a founding member of the LEAF Coalition, a global public-private initiative working to mobilise over $1 billion to protect the world's tropical rainforests.