Jeff Bezos’ $10 Billion Climate Pledge: Earth Fund Announces Over $25 Million For Pacific Ocean Conservation

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion in 2020 to support efforts to tackle climate change and environmental challenges. Nearly seven years into that commitment, his Bezos Earth Fund has announced more than $25 million in new grants aimed at protecting and sustainably managing large stretches of the Pacific Ocean.

The latest funding will support conservation projects across Cook Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and Vanuatu, with the projects collectively covering more than 625,000 square miles of ocean.

The new grants are part of the Earth Fund’s broader $100 million “Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity” commitment, which seeks to help Pacific nations sustainably manage their waters and protect at least 30% of the region’s ocean by 2030. With the latest funding, $63.3 million of that $100 million commitment has now been awarded.

What Will The $25 Million Funding Support?

The latest grants will support a range of marine conservation efforts across the Pacific.

In Papua New Guinea, funding will help with efforts to establish the country’s first large offshore marine protected area. In Tonga, the money will support the expansion of protected areas.

The grants will also contribute to conservation and habitat-protection planning in Kiribati and Vanuatu, while supporting the Marae Moana ocean park in the Cook Islands.

Another grant to conservation organisation Rare will support Pacific governments in developing proposals to protect biodiversity in international waters under the UN High Seas Treaty, which entered into force earlier this year.

Bezos Earth Fund Has Awarded About $2.4 Billion

The Pacific funding represents only one part of Bezos’ wider environmental philanthropy.

According to recent reports, the Bezos Earth Fund has awarded around $2.4 billion from the $10 billion commitment made in 2020. That leaves approximately $7.6 billion still to be distributed before the end of 2030.

The Earth Fund has said it remains committed to fulfilling the full $10 billion pledge by the 2030 deadline. Grantmaking reportedly increased to at least $400 million in 2026 after falling to $183 million in 2025.

Other Areas Receiving Earth Fund Support

The Bezos Earth Fund has also been directing money toward several other environmental initiatives.

Since April, the organisation has announced funding for sustainable fabrics, wildfire detection and prevention, urban parks and protection of threatened species. It has also committed $100 million through a partnership with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Re:wild to support conservation efforts involving some of the world’s most threatened species.

The fund also previously announced grants through its AI Grand Challenge for environmental applications, including technology designed to identify plant species and help researchers decode the songs of endangered birds.

Why Pacific Ocean Conservation Matters

The new funding comes as Pacific marine ecosystems face increasing pressure from rising ocean temperatures and acidification.

The World Meteorological Organization has highlighted growing climate-related risks across the Asia-Pacific region, including impacts on oceans, fisheries, food systems, infrastructure and livelihoods. The region recorded its second-warmest year on record in 2025, with marine heatwaves affecting ecosystems and fisheries.

The Bezos Earth Fund said its earlier Pacific investments are already producing results. According to the organisation, 17 of the Pacific’s 22 countries are now working on protecting or sustainably managing their waters. French Polynesia has also established what the fund describes as the world’s largest network of fully protected marine areas, while Niue has protected 40% of its national waters.

$10 Billion Pledge Still Has Years To Go

Bezos’ original 2020 commitment set a target of distributing $10 billion toward climate and environmental causes by the end of 2030.

With around $2.4 billion awarded so far, the Earth Fund has roughly $7.6 billion remaining to deploy. Meeting the original deadline would require substantially increasing the pace of grantmaking over the next four years.

The latest Pacific grants therefore represent a relatively small portion of the overall pledge, but they form part of a wider effort to channel the Earth Fund’s resources into climate, biodiversity and conservation projects around the world.