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More than 4,500 Amazon employees have signed a letter asking the company to take concrete action on climate change, with claims including a complete transition to move away from fossil fuels.
The letter was posted Wednesday by a group called Amazon Employees for Climate Justice and was addressed to CEO Jeff Bezos and the Amazon Board of Directors. The group called on the company to publish an action plan on climate change based on the principles set out in its letter.
"Amazon has the resources and the scale to spark the imagination of the world and redefine what is possible and necessary to deal with the climate crisis," the group wrote. "We believe it is a historic opportunity for Amazon to stand by its employees and tell the world that we are ready to be a climate leader."
As of 6:00 pm Pacific Standard Time, over 4,500 employees were registered.
The software engineer of Amazon and the co-signer of the letter, Rajit Iftikhar, confirmed to CNN that the letter followed two meetings between concerned employees and Amazon executives on the plans of the company in climate matters that have not given clear results. The letter is also the result of the work of 28 past and present employees. who filed a shareholder resolution in December 2018, says the group press release. The company had told them that it would soon issue a statement of opposition to this resolution.
"This campaign has started with a dozen workers who have come together to take action on the climate crisis.We now have thousands of employees around the world who are publicly demanding a business plan that matches the business. 39 magnitude and urgency of the problem, "Iftikhar wrote in the press release. "We were amazed by his support and passion for making Amazon a leader in climate justice."
The Amazon workers' movement is remarkable in two ways, the New York Times noted. On the one hand, it is rare for technical workers to give their name when they claim change. Second, it represents the growth of an emerging tactic for employees to use a shareholder resolution to influence their employers. Historically, this tactic has been used by outside groups, but it is being used more and more by technical employees who benefit from stock options as part of their benefits package. In the United States, Amazon employs more than 65,000 people working in the business and technology sectors, but to date, more people have signed the letter than those employed at Amazon sites other than Seattle or the region from San Francisco Bay.
The principles that the authors of the letter hope Amazon will adopt are:
1. Climate objectives consistent with the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which calls for halving emissions by 2030 compared to 2010 levels
2 Complete elimination of the use of fossil fuels
3 Prioritize the climate when making decisions
4. Give priority to reducing damage to vulnerable communities
5 Advocate for government policies that reduce emissions
6 Fair compensation for employees affected by extreme weather events
The letter also called for Amazon's specific policies and actions, such as donations to climate change legislators and an AWS initiative for oil and gas that helps oil and gas companies develop and grow. to speed up the extraction.
The letter also stated that the company's current commitment to sustainable development, Shipment Zero, did not go far enough. This commitment would ensure that packages emit zero net carbon emissions and that marine transport emits 50% net carbon by 2030, but letter writers have stated that the use of carbon offsets could replace Aboriginal communities in poorly designed forest conservation programs and would do nothing to reduce air pollution.
"The announcement of zero shipping from Amazon is a first step and it has shown the positive impact that can have on the pressures exerted on employees," said in the press release Maren Costa, user experience designer and letter designer. "All of us – individuals, businesses, governments – just need to do more – Amazon needs a business plan that responds to the scale and urgency of the climate crisis, and Shipment Zero is far from enough. "
In response to this letter, Amazon told CNN that 200 scientists, engineers and product designers were working in the field of sustainability.
"We have launched several major and impactful programs and we are working hard to fully integrate this approach with the entire Amazon," said the company in a statement. "Our commitment to ensuring our customers understand how we deal with environmental issues is unwavering and we look forward to more work and more sharing this year."
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