Billionaires around the world sit atop mass amounts of money that could go a long way towards solving the world’s climate issues. Take Jeff Bezos, for example. If the head of Amazon donated just one percent of his total wealth towards climate solutions, which would amount to around $1.5 billion, he would still be left with more than $150 billion in his bank accounts. Unfortunately, though, we rarely hear about billionaires putting their money towards the environment—with exception to Bill Gates. This week, however, was one of those rare occasions as Swiss businessman Hansjörg Wyss donated $1 billion to the Wyss Campaign for Nature in a bid to conserve 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030—twice as much land and ocean that is currently protected. Supported by conservation groups including the National Geographic Society and The Nature Conservancy, the campaign has already selected nine conservation projects across 13 countries. These will be granted $48 million to help protect 10 million acres of land and 17,000 square kilometers of ocean. The Nature Conservancy will also receive $6.9 million to aid in both its marine conservation work in the Caribbean and efforts to protect migratory birds in Australia.
This Swiss entrepreneur just donated $1 billion towards conservation efforts
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