Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has pledged to donate $2bn for land restoration in Africa as part of his Bezos Earth Fund.

Bezos told attendees, including world leaders, at the COP26 conference in Glasgow that his trip to space in July illustrated to him how fragile the planet was: “I was told that seeing the Earth from space changes the lens from which you view the world, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be true.

“Looking back at Earth from up there, the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and so fragile. Now, in this critical year, and what we all know is the decisive decade, we must all stand together to protect our world.”

The $2bn (£1.5bn) pledged by Bezos in Glasgow will be targeted at land restoration measures in Africa in order to boost soil fertility and improve food security, with Bezos stating that two thirds of the continent’s land is currently degraded.  

This pledge forms part of the $10bn (£7.3bn) Bezos committed to the fund last year. In his speech, he also reiterated Amazon’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2040.

Bezos’ speech at COP26 follows ongoing calls from Amazon employees for the company to improve its environmental track record and working conditions.

In 2020, Amazon Employees for Climate Justice called for the ecommerce giant to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, while in April, Amazon was found to have illegally responded to the group’s efforts when it fired two of its members.

Bezos was also criticised online prior to his speech following his decision to travel to Glasgow on his private jet, while Prince William was among those who expressed concern at the actions of entrepreneurs pursuing space exploration, including Bezos and Richard Branson, due to the amount of fossil fuel required.

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