One Foot Island, a small island on the Aitutaki Atoll in the Cook Islands, South Seas, South Pacific Ocean. Photo: Unsplash
The planet is in trouble. Real trouble. We’re demolishing nature at an astonishing clip, but recently about 625,000 square miles of ocean got a load of protection cash from a surprising place: Jeff Bezos.
Jeff Bezos is a very rich man. I’m of the firm belief that you cannot become a billionaire and be a good and moral person, but even bad people can do good things. And the Amazon founder’s $10 billion philanthropic initiative, the Bezos Earth Fund, recently did a good thing. Probably for the tax write-offs, but still, a good thing can be a good thing even if the reason for doing it isn’t.
The Bezos Earth Fund, which was launched back in 2020 by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, has a simple goal: “to fight climate change and protect nature.” Now, that could seem a tad bit hypocritical coming from a guy who owns a company that vomits out tens of millions of metric tons of carbon emissions every year. It could seem a tad bit hypocritical coming from a guy who flies around in private jets like he’s taking a drive down the street. It could seem a tad bit hypocritical coming from a guy who started a freaking space tourism company. And it is a tad bit hypocritical, but I’d imagine that Jeff Bezos doesn’t care if we think he’s a hypocrite because he’s flying around on private jets far above our heads or living in his Billionaire Bunker, a compound in Miami that he’s been building (or fortifying, depending on how you’re looking at it) for years.
But still, protection is protection, and the Bezos Earth Funds grant of $25 million dollars towards ocean conservation efforts in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vanuatu is a good thing.
“The grants will support major new conservation efforts across the region, including Papua New Guinea’s first large offshore marine protected area, new protected areas in Tonga, advancement of the Cook Islands’ Marae Moana vision, efforts to identify and protect important ocean habitats in Kiribati and Vanuatu, and development of some of the world’s first marine protected area proposals on the high seas under the UN High Seas Treaty,” the Bezos Earth Fund explained. “For generations, Pacific Island communities have cared for ocean areas that support countless species including whales, sharks, sea turtles, coral reefs, as well as fisheries. These grants will help keep those waters healthy and productive, while supporting new efforts to protect ocean life both within national waters and on the high seas.”
Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Vice Chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, has had a lifelong love affair with the sea, which is part of what led her and Jeff to create their initiative.
“Every kid falls in love with the ocean before anyone tells them it’s in trouble,” she said. “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.”
The grants are spread out between the Cook Islands’ BirdLife International, Kiribati’s Live & Learn Environmental Education, Papua New Guinea’s Wildlife Conservation Society, Tonga’s TierraMar, and with Rare, an environmental organization that is working to protect vital marine ecosystems across the Pacific and island territories.
“Today’s grants are the second round of funding under the Bezos Earth Fund’s $100 million commitment to support Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity,” the Bezos Earth Fund wrote. “The Pacific-led initiative, endorsed by the region’s leaders, aims to sustainably manage all of the region’s waters and protect at least 30 percent by 2030. The Bezos Earth Fund announced seven grants totaling $37.5 million in 2025. With this new round, it has made $63.3 million in grants toward that commitment.”
