Amazon has announced a €20 million allocation for nature based projects to improve environmental conditions in the communities where it operates across Europe, as part of its Right Now Climate Fund.
Amazon will begin by supporting the work of the Parco Italia urban forestry programme in Italy. Parco Italia aims to plant 22 million trees – one tree per city resident – across 14 metropolitan areas in Italy. The Parco Italia programme will receive €2 million, which will support strategic planning of the programme and initial tree planting. The project will also help cities to become more climate-change resilient, increasing urban biodiversity, improving air quality, and promoting urban cooling.
The investment comes from Amazon’s global Right Now Climate Fund, set up in 2019 to support nature conservation and restoration initiatives worldwide. The €20 million allocation for Europe will fund vital projects across the region supporting carbon mitigation and biodiversity improvements, as well as providing social benefits such as job creation and access to nature. These projects supplement the efforts and investments Amazon is making to decarbonise its own business operations, as we look to fund projects that offer robust and science-based benefits that protect our environment and enhance the wellbeing of our communities.
“As co-founders of The Climate Pledge—a commitment to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early—we’re excited to launch this commitment to funding in Europe. Our goal with nature-based investments like the Parco Italia programme is to create positive environmental and social impact, closer to our customers and communities in Europe. In the fight to combat climate change and preserve biodiversity, we will need both large-scale and local action – and we’re committing to investing in both.”
– Zak Watts, Amazon’s Director of Sustainability in Europe
