What's Amazon's climate change plan? Stakeholders want to know

A group of Amazon stakeholders is calling on the company to be bolder on climate change.

They're not asking for any specific policy. Rather, the group is asking Amazon leaders to produce a report on how the corporation will reduce fossil fuel use.

At least 16 stakeholders filed a resolution in November asking for the report.

Amazon employee Eliza Pan of Seattle said, "We filed this resolution because we are very concerned about the immediate and near future impacts that climate change is having on our company, today, and the communities where we operate."

"We want to see the same level of concern from the board of directors."

She and the other resolution authors are asking more Amazon stakeholders to sign on this week, before the filing deadline this Wednesday.

The resolution states: "Shareholders request that Amazon’s Board of Directors prepare a public report as soon as practicable describing how Amazon is planning for disruptions posed by climate change, and how Amazon is reducing its company-wide dependence on fossil fuels. The report should be prepared at reasonable expense and may exclude confidential information."

An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment on the resolution, but said the company has set a long-term goal to power its global infrastructure with 100 percent renewable energy. The company has not provided a deadline for that goal.

The resolution focuses not just on the global impacts of climate change, but specifically how a changing climate could harm Amazon's business and employees.

Pan cited examples that have already impacted the company, including storms and power outages that impacted fulfillment centers and the negative health impacts wildfires pose on employees.

"We are seeing the impacts of climate change and we know that Amazon, of course, is a contributor to that, as are many corporations,"Pan said. "What we're really asking for is for Amazon to share the holistic and complete climate plan, rather than one-off, standalone projects."

Kara Hurst, director of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, said that to date Amazon has solar energy systems at 25 fulfillment centers, with plans to reach 50 by 2020.

"We’re continuously working to optimize our transportation network and develop innovative technologies that lower our environmental impact," she said. "We have joined numerous industry partnerships to support action on climate change and to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy."

Internal Amazon documents obtained by KUOW show the company’s green energy purchases have not been keeping up with its growing energy consumption.

Amazon's next annual stakeholders meeting is in May 2019.