Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos said going to space made him realise ‘how thin the globe’s atmosphere is’ during a lecture on green issues to world leaders at COP26.
After landing in Glasgow on his £48million private jet, Mr Bezos stressed the importance of environmentalism to Boris Johnson, Joe Biden and other government heads who have gathered this week to discuss international cooperation on green issues.
Mr Bezos’ Gulf Stream has led a 400-strong parade of private jets into COP26, including scores of royals and dozens of ‘green’ CEOs – amid an extraordinary traffic jam which forced empty planes to fly 30 miles to find space to park.
Today, billionaire Jeff Bezos spoke out, stating that he has gained new perspectives after a brief journey to space in the crewed flight of New Shepard’s rocket ship, New Shepard.
He told delegates: ‘I was told that seeing the Earth from space changes the lens through which you see the world. But I was not prepared for 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 a decisive decade, we must all stand together to protect our world.’
Speaking today, billionaire Mr Bezos, who earlier this year made a short journey to space in the first crewed flight of his rocket ship, New Shepard, said he had gained new perspective
He said to the delegates, “I was told that space viewing of the Earth changes the lens through the which you view the world.” But I wasn’t prepared for how true that would be.
Mr. Bezos’ Gulf Stream accompanied a 400-strong parade, including scores and dozens ‘green’ CEOs, into COP26. This was amid an extraordinary traffic jam, which saw empty planes fly 30 miles to find parking spaces.
Mr. Bezos said that each year, forests and landscapes absorb 11billion tonnes of CO2 from our atmosphere. This helps to slow climate change.
“As we destroy nature we reverse this process. We don’t sequester carbon; we release it.
“In too many places of the world, nature is already turning from a carbon sink into a source.” This is a grave and urgent threat to all of us.
He stated that he was honored by the $2billion pledge to restore nature in the Bezos Earth Fund’s $10billion commitment to combat climate change, improve nature, advance economic justice and economic opportunity.
MailOnline reported that at least 52 private aircraft landed at Glasgow on Sunday. Other estimates put the total number at 400.
Conservative forecasts suggest that the fleet of private jets arriving at COP26 will produce 13,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide total – the equivalent of the amount consumed by more 1,600 Britons per year.
Mr Bezos – who regularly lectures the world on climate change – arrived in Glasgow fresh from celebrating Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ 66th birthday on a £2million-a-week superyacht off the coast of Turkey in an event that generated fresh claims of green hypocrisy.
According to reports, he reached his boat by helicopter.