One of Australia's richest men will donate $1.5 BILLION of vast fortune to fighting climate change
Australian billionaires Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes have pledged a slice of their wealth to helping the country fight . Mr Cannon-Brookes, third on the Rich List for 2021 with a net worth of $33.5 billion, said the government needed to do more to address the 'growing environmental crisis facing the world and Australia'. The couple are donating $1.5 billion, including $1 billion in financial investments towards cutting carbon emissions and $500 million in philanthropic endeavours, all aimed at limiting global warming to 1.5C. 'The two things required here is the ambition, and the urgency,' Mr Cannon-Brookes told . 'The next decade is the time that really matters, not, not the next 30 years to 2050. And that's what I'd like to see more philanthropists and investments doing, looking at the now.' The billionaire founder of software company Atlassian described the Australian Government's approach to climate change as 'shameful' ahead of the Glasgow UN Climate Change Conference. He noted the responsibility of corporate leaders taking a stand in addressing the world's climate, saying there needed to be significant resources moved towards preventing further environmental destruction. 'Urgency, whether that's at the Australian Government policy level or whether that's at the philanthropic level, or whether it's the investment level, we need to do it now,' he said. Mr Cannon-Brookes set a target of 2030 for his $1.5 billion investment so he can ensure the money is making an impact, rather than the government target's of net-zero emissions by 2050. 'What I really like about how we set up our own personal goal to do it by 2030. This isn't sort of, "by the time we die we'd like to do this", it's like "no, no, no, the next eight years is critical",' he told AFR. He hoped the investment would encourage inventors and forward thinkers to come through with ideas for using the money. Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not plan to attend the summit, but changed his mind after public backlash and encouragement from US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Mr Morrison said his plan was to push ahead towards net-zero by 2050 regardless of the stalling Nationals, who have backing from the mining sector. The plan will also have an initial goal set for 2030 that will be agreed by both parties and in National Cabinet.