NEW YORK — At its annual gala dinner last week, Conservation International honored Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is also the founder and executive chair of the Bezos Earth Fund, and Lauren Sánchez, his girlfriend and the Fund’s vice chair, with its Global Visionary Award. The recognition highlights Bezos’ and Sánchez’s dedication to addressing the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss by preserving Earth’s most critical ecosystems and supporting the local communities that safeguard them.
Conservation International CEO Dr. M. Sanjayan presented the award, which was followed by a conversation between Conservation International Vice Chair Harrison Ford, Bezos and Sánchez.
“Jeff and Lauren are making history, not just with the sum of their investment in nature but also the speed of it. They understand that the time to start reversing nature loss and climate change is now — not ten minutes or ten years down the road,” Sanjayan said. “It’s not easy to change entire systems, but that’s precisely what they’ve set out to do. And they’re bringing everyone to the table – communities, businesses, governments – while promoting the wisdom of Indigenous peoples who have stewarded their lands brilliantly. This is collective action with scale and speed, both top-down and bottom-up.”
The Bezos Earth Fund has an extraordinary goal: By 2030, it will distribute $10 billion to fight climate change and biodiversity loss. To date, the fund has issued more than 230 grants designed to conserve the nature that people rely on for their livelihoods and well-being. It’s the largest philanthropic commitment ever made to fight climate change and protect nature and sets an unprecedented standard for investing in a sustainable and healthy future for all.
The gala dinner event, hosted by Andrés and Lauren Santo Domingo at The Grill in New York, included remarks from:
- Nia Tero Founder, President and CEO & Conservation International Founder and Chairman Peter Seligmann
- Conservation International CEO Dr. M. Sanjayan
- Indigenous activist and Conservation International Board Member Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim
- Conservation International Board Member and actor Shailene Woodley, who delivered the evening’s closing remarks
Past Conservation International honorees include U.S. President Joe Biden (then-former U.S. Vice President), former U.S. President Bill Clinton, former Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and environmental advocate and Conservation International Vice Chair Harrison Ford.
