Amazon pledges to meet Paris climate goals 10 years early

WASHINGTON: Amazon chief Jeff Bezos pledged Thursday the retail giant will meet its emissions targets taken under the Paris climate accord 10 years ahead of schedule.

"We want to use our scope and our scale to lead the way," Bezos -- the world's richest man -- told a news conference in the US capital. Bezos said Amazon would be the first signatory to the Paris climate accord to commit to meet its targets under the deal a decade early, with other companies to follow suit.

As part of the ramped-up pledge, Bezos said Amazon had agreed to purchase 100,000 electric delivery vans from vehicle maker Rivian, to help cut its carbon fooptprint. The first will hit the road in 2021, with the fleet to be fully operational in 2024, according to Bezos, who also pledged Amazon to invest $100 million on reforestation efforts in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy.

Bezos´s announcement came the day before of a global day of demonstrations to demand action on climate change, ahead of a UN summit on zero emissions on September 23. Amazon faces mounting pressure to address its environmental impact, with more than 1,000 of its workers planning to walk off the job Friday as part of the Global Climate Strike.