Climate Change News: Nearly 1,000 Amazon Employees To Protest Company's Inaction On Global Warming

A group of nearly 1,000 Amazon employees, called "Amazon Employees For Climate Justice," are going to protest Amazon's inaction on climate change on Sept. 20, with the group having posted an online letter on Monday to announce the demonstrations. The protests will be part of a broader worldwide set of demonstrations called the Global Climate Strike.

"Amazon is one of the world's most innovative companies," the letter said. "We pride ourselves on being a leader. But in the face of the climate crisis, a true leader is one who reaches zero emissions first, not one who slides in at the last possible moment."

The group adds that Amazon "contributes directly to climate change through intensive use of fossil fuels throughout our businesses and pollutes our communities with our fossil fuels infrastructure."

The employees demand that the company has zero carbon emissions by 2030, and that Amazon Web Services (AWS) refuses contracts for fossil fuel companies that are engaged in oil and gas extraction. The employees also urge the company to not give campaign contributions to lobbyists and politicians that deny climate change.

Amazon has said that the company has "dedicated sustainability teams who have been working for years on initiatives to reduce our environmental impact" and that the company plans to share its carbon footprint later this year.

In May, Amazon employees outlined a demand for the company to act on the climate during the company's annual shareholders meeting.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos remained off-stage during the presentation.

Activists globally have been concerned about the toll Amazon's extensive logistics system takes on the environment. In July, several hundred environmental activists demonstrated outside of Amazon's headquarters in Paris, urging the company to do more to limit its impact on the environment.

Activists have been particularly concerned about the company throwing away unsold goods, with the German government calling the issue a "huge scandal."