Jeff Bezos Does Not Have 3X the Amount of Wealth Needed to Save the Planet
The Claim
Jeff Bezos is set to become a trillionaire and holds three times the amount necessary to end climate change.
Emerging story
The claim went viral in 2021 in response to an article that estimated Bezos could potentially become the world’s first trillionaire by 2026.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar concluded that while Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world, his net worth is well below one trillion dollars. According to Forbes, as of July 19th, Bezos is worth $203.7 billion. While a study does claim his worth could reach trillionaire status by 2026, experts consider this estimate to be extremely optimistic.
With this in mind, the claim that Bezos has three times the amount necessary to end climate change doesn’t hold up. Estimates of the amount of money it would take to end global climate change vary wildly.
On the lower end of the spectrum, United Nations climate scientists claim that the rise in greenhouse gases can be curbed for $300 billion. On the other end of the spectrum, Morgan Stanley analysts put the cost of ending climate change by 2050 at around $50 trillion. Therefore, Bezos, at a net worth of $203.7 billion, could not afford to end climate change even with the most optimistic cost estimates.
