Jeff Bezos tells COP26 trip to space made him realise how 'fragile' planet is
2 November 2021, 11:50 | Updated: 2 November 2021, 11:52
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has told the COP26 his recent flight to space made him realise how "finite" and "fragile" the world is.
The billionaire, who successfully reached the edge of space in July, addressed the summit at an event with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday.
He said: "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.
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"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."
Mr Bezos also pledged 2 billion dollars (£1.47 billion) for land restoration in Africa.
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He announced the funding, paid as part of the Bezos Earth Fund, having previously indicated the investment would be 1 billion dollars (£732 million)
"We must conserve what we still have, we must restore what we've lost and we must grow what we need to live without degrading the planet for future generations to come," he said.
"Two thirds of the land in Africa is degraded, but this can be reversed.
"Restoration can improve soil fertility, raise yields and improve food security, make water more reliable, create jobs and boost economic growth, while also sequestering carbon."
