A group of young climate activists held a demonstration outside Amazon's Seattle headquarters by washing the company's windows.
What's happening?
One day prior to the international retail giant's Annual General Meeting for shareholders, which included resolutions regarding climate accountability, the Youth for Climate Justice group staged its protest, Stand.earth reported.
The demonstration was a call for greater transparency. In 2019, Amazon made a pledge to cut its shipping emissions in half.
However, a 2024 investigation by the Stand Research Group revealed that Amazon actually increased its emissions 75% between 2019 and 2023. This took Amazon's air pollution from over 3.6 million tons to over 6.4 million.
Not only is the pollution bad, but Amazon doesn't seem as though it's being honest about it. According to Stand.earth, a survey of Amazon employees last year revealed that 60% believed the company was being dishonest to the public about its impact on the environment.
Why is climate transparency important?
Carbon air pollution is one of the biggest factors in the Earth's rising temperature. Among other negative impacts, that temperature increase is the reason behind the growing number of severe weather events, which have caused so much property damage and loss of life.
The only way to fix the climate is to lower our production of heat-trapping gases. While everyday people can switch to electric vehicles and get rid of gas appliances, real change requires large corporations like Amazon to also curb their emissions.
"Amazon's dirty windows conceal the company's shameful climate record," said Jim Ace, Stand.earth senior campaigner and actions manager.
"Amazon hides the full picture of its pollution behind vague pledges and selective reporting. This lack of transparency is an obstacle to progress on emissions reductions," Ace added. "At this year's AGM, investors have an opportunity to call on Amazon leadership to align their reporting with industry standards for a fuller picture of long-term risks to the company's operations.
"Consumers also deserve to know what Amazon's impact on climate progress is — and what the company is doing to fix it."
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Definitely 👍 What's being done about Amazon's pollution?
Participants in the recent demonstration scrubbed the windows at Amazon headquarters as a symbolic request for clarity. They also published an open letter to Amazon's executives.
"We, the youth of today, are compelled to act because of Amazon's lack of transparency and climate leadership. We demand Amazon take responsibility by acknowledging and sharing all their climate related data in their next sustainability report," said Liam McKee, a Youth for Climate Justice Member, per Stand.earth.
Amazon's website says it is aiming for "net-zero carbon emissions across our operations by 2040 by investing in carbon-free energy, scaling solutions, and collaborating with partners to broaden our impact."
Despite this declaration, however, the Youth for Climate Justice protest and apparent concern from Amazon's own employees suggest the company could and should be doing more to tackle the problem.
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