Emily Cunningham

In short... Bezos: aggressive dates and timelines tied to goals are crucial for our success. Also Bezos: Yeah, no date for a goal about the most important, time-critical issue threatening our world.

It's dishonest for Amazon to have a goal of "100% renewable energy" without a date, especially when timelines determine the amount of devastation in a rapidly warming climate. Either have the goal and get a damn date. Or don't have one at all.

I mean, 100% as a goal is never going to be achievable until the entire world is at 100% renewable, setting a date would be a recipe for losing trust. We could say AWS Data Centers at 100% renewable by x date, but all of supply chain, last mile, and third party sellers?

Let's help the world get there. Let's use our considerable power to pressure governments and suppliers. Let's redefine what's possible. Let's act as if our world, our company depended on it.

Bosch committed to being carbon neutral worldwide by 2020. Walmart set a goal to be powered by 50% renewable sources by 2025, and has currently achieved 28% of that. Microsoft pledged to cut emissions by 75% by 2030.

What makes you think we aren't? The reticence to make glib commitments makes me think that tangible changes are in the works, but they can't be talked about yet. If there weren't plans for a bold new path forward, I suspect they would be far looser with their words.

I see this differently. Amazon's no-date commitment for 100% renewable energy is, by definition, glib. Yet it allows us to look like we're taking bold leadership when, so far, we're not.