Bravery and Climate Change
I gave a speech at my company, one of the most powerful companies in the world, calling on our chief executive officer (CEO) to address the climate crisis on the scale and urgency it requires.
I gave the three-minute speech at our company’s annual general meeting to introduce a shareholder resolution on the climate emergency that a group of my fellow workers and I had co-filed. I talked about climate justice—that the people least responsible and most vulnerable (due to colonialism and racism) are suffering the worst impacts of the climate crisis. I spoke of the need for bold, rapid climate leadership now. I stood up to [confronted and challenged] our CEO, the richest man in the world.
Some people cried or teared up as I read the speech in a meeting that is usually very formal. And I heard from others that they had cried watching videos of it afterward. Many of the top news outlets in the United States reported on our shareholder resolution and the things we did. Some international outlets reported on them as well.
Just a handful of us had initiated the action. Then over 7,700 employees had joined in, signing their names to our open letter asking our CEO to adopt the shareholder resolution and release a company-wide climate plan that would incorporate six principles, including the following:
- A complete transition away from fossil fuels, with publicized dates and timelines for emissions reduction in line with the United Nations IPCC [Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report
- An end to our partnerships with fossil fuel companies that are using our technology to find and extract oil and gas more quickly
- Reducing harm to vulnerable communities first, because “climate impact will be felt first and hardest by Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, particularly in the Global South”
It was a historic action. When I started it, I had no idea how impactful it would be or how far-reaching. No matter what our feelings tell us, we are each powerful. Significant. Capable of changing the world.
The climate emergency will require us to be our biggest, bravest, best selves and to do things we can’t yet imagine ourselves doing. As Alex Steffen wrote, “Everyone needs to do everything they can, starting at the highest level of power they can reach and moving as fast as possible.”
The actions my coworkers and I took have inspired people all over the world. We are already hearing about similar actions in other companies. My bravery in speaking out inspired many others. People from different countries, strangers, friends reached out and thanked me and felt encouraged to do more themselves. What we do matters.
Let us be brave. Let us join together, all of us around the world, and confront the climate emergency together with everything we’ve got! I love you all.
MY SPEECH
You can see a video of my speech at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9L09SRE1dY>,
and a written version at <https://medium.com/@amazonemployeesclimatejustice/speech-to-jeff-bezos-during-annual-shareholder-meeting-7cf3d8a9a93b>.
OUR OPEN LETTER
You can read our open letter at <https://medium.com/@amazonemployeesclimatejustice/public-letter-to-jeff-bezos-and-the-amazon-board-of-directors-82a8405f5e38>.
Seattle, Washington, USA
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