Since March 2020, more than 40 million people in the U.S. alone suddenly face unemployment and a precarious future. The World Food Programme has estimated that 135 million additional people risk starvation due to effects of the pandemic lockdowns (beyond the existing 800+ million people who go to bed hungry every night) [1]. At the current rate, this could potentially lead to an additional 6,000 children dying every day from preventable causes over the next 6 months [2].

During this pressing period, Oxfam—who works to support people through crisis and poverty in 90+ countries—has reached a critical funding crisis and decided to withdraw from 18 of the countries in which it operates [3]. Many of those countries (such as Egypt, Paraguay, Pakistan, and Rwanda) host innumerable people now pushed toward starvation. It can take months—even years—to build effective organizational groundwork and functioning local relationships. Once uprooted, one cannot quickly replace it all. Yet millions of people need massive support now.

Another organization, GiveDirectly, has raised 100 million dollars to distribute cash directly to 100,000 people in the U.S. whose needs cannot wait for the next government stimulus check [4].

Funding exists. And the people who have it can distribute it. Many billionaires already donate large sums to philanthropy. Warren Buffett, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, founded The Giving Pledge in 2010 through which more than 200 billionaires (most recently MacKenzie Bezos) have committed to give away most of their fortune to help others [5]. Google CEO Sundar Pichai just donated $3 million to GiveDirectly [6]. Jeff Bezos recently launched the Bezos Earth Fund, pledging $10 billion to address climate change [7]. But climate change harms workers and the disenfranchised the most. Helping them earlier helps our Earth heal quicker (think: the proverbial “a stitch in time saves nine” times 6 billion lives) [8]. As Jason Hickel wrote, “By sharing what we already have more fairly, we won’t need to plunder the Earth for more” [9].

These dire days call for billionaires to share so much more because so many more people have increasingly serious needs (which groups such as Doctors Without Borders now scramble to meet). The UN, for example, needs an extra $1 billion to address the extreme crisis in Yemen and the Food and Agriculture Organization needs $350 million for relief work in places such as South Sudan, Haiti, and Somalia [10]. Regular people do not have the necessary funds to fix this. Billionaires do. Ted Turner famously demonstrated this when he committed to donate $1 billion to the UN in 1997 [11].

Yet, according to NBC, “most members of The Giving Pledge have accumulated wealth faster than they’ve given it away” [12]. Most billionaires live in the U.S. but most citizens do not feel that benefit now. While hundreds of millions of people across the world lost their source of income, Amazon has thrived—even according to lowest estimates—enriching Jeff Bezos by at least $13.5 billion in the last few months [13].

In the long term, people need their own homes, clean water and air, basic infrastructure, health care access, job security, participation in important decisions, debt relief, and especially tax reforms that ensure a more just distribution of resources [14]. But right now, a tiny fraction of billionaire money could make an enormous difference for many people who need funds urgently.

If ten leading billionaires donated $200 million each, it would barely register as a blip on the radar of their assets (i.e., the difference between $13.5 billion and $13.3 billion). But two billion dollars could mean the difference between life and death for countless adults and children. 

 

Therefore, we call on billionaires to commit a minimum of $2 billion to address critical needs right now in June 2020.

Specifically, we call on billionaires to provide an IMMEDIATE funding of $200 million including:

$100 million for Oxfam to continue their work in places that urgently need it.

$100 million for GiveDirectly to distribute $1,000 each to an additional 100,000 U.S. citizens.

We call on billionaires to further commit an additional $1.8 billion to fund critical health and food needs of people serviced by existing programs such as the UN and Doctors Without Borders.

We all share this planet. We can share our resources too.

 

Earth justice needs economic justice.

Let’s act today!

 

Sources:

[1] “WFP Chief warns of hunger pandemic as COVID-19 spreads (Statement to UN Security Council).” World Food Programme.

[2] “COVID-19 and Human Development: Assessing the Crisis, Envisioning the Recovery.” UN Development Programme.

[3] “Oxfam to close in 18 countries and cut 1,500 staff amid coronavirus pressures.” The Guardian.

“What We Do.” Oxfam.

[4] “Project 100 Is Handing Out Free $1,000 Cash Payments to 100,000 Low-Income Americans.” Newsweek.

[5] The Giving Pledge.

[6] GiveDirectly: Project 100.

[7] “Jeff Bezos Commits $10 Billion to Address Climate Change,” New York Times.

[8] “Why Climate Change and Poverty Are Inextricably Linked.” Global Citizen.

[9] “Inequality and the ecological transition.” Jason Hickel.

[10] “A race against the pandemic – MSF COVID-19 crisis update.” Doctors Without Borders.

“Yemen faces ‘macabre tragedy’ as aid funding falls short by $1bn.” The Guardian.

“FAO needs $350 million to avert rising hunger as countries reel from COVID-19 pandemic’s impact.” FAO.

[11] “Ted Turner Plans a $1 Billion Gift for U.N. Agencies.” New York Times.

[12] “New billionaire MacKenzie Bezos’ ‘giving pledge’ is a good first step, but questions remain.” NBC.

[13] “No, America’s billionaires didn’t get $434 billion richer during the pandemic — quite the opposite, in fact.” MarketWatch.

See also “The Richest in 2020.” Forbes.

[14] “The numbers are in: Water is key to poverty reduction and health.” World Bank.

“It is time for a global Debt Jubilee: Part I.” Medium.

“Why debts associated with poverty can cause long-lasting problems.” Ars Technica.

Tax reform U.S.: Citizens for Tax Justice.

Tax reform global: Tax Justice Network.

 

Notes: EarthBond U has no affiliation to Oxfam, GiveDirectly, the UN, or Doctors Without Borders. Photo credit to the left: Noah Buscher (cropped).