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COP26: Jeff Bezos inspired by space jaunt to pledge $2 billion to save the planet

The ex-Amazon CEO decided to bump his total climate funding commitment to $3 billion after heading to space with Blue Origin.

Former Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos has been inspired to provide an additional $2 billion to conservation efforts through the Bezos Earth Fund after his journey into space this summer.

Bezos made the announcement on Tuesday at COP26, the UN climate summit taking place in Glasgow, Scotland. The new pledge will be put toward landscape restoration and food systems transformation, and it brings his total commitment to $3 billion, following a separate $1 billion pledge he made in September.

His new pledge arrives at a crucial moment in the fight against the climate crisis, when leaders from around the world are gathering to discuss plans to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Climate change is making extreme weather events more common, and COP26 is being hailed as the last hope in humanity’s efforts to prevent it from getting worse.

In a speech to world leaders, Bezos described how his journey to the edge of space on Blue Origin’s first crewed flight in July compelled him to do more to protect the environment.

«I was told seeing the Earth from space changes the lens through which you view the world, but I was not prepared for just how much that would be true,» he said. «Looking back at the Earth from up there, the atmosphere seems so thin, the world so finite and so fragile.»

It has been reported that, as did many of the VIPs and dignitaries at COP26, Bezos flew to Glasgow aboard a private jet. Representatives for Bezos didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Why Amazon Is Giving Surprise Refunds for Years-Old Purchases (And If You’ll Get One)

Recent internal reviews at Amazon unleashed a wave of new refunds: Some are getting more than $1,000 back from purchases made up to 7 years ago.

Amazon buyers are reporting an influx of unexpected refunds from products they ordered months or even years ago, with one customer on LinkedIn saying he received a refund of $1,800 for a smart TV bought seven years ago. Others made similar comments about products bought long ago.

According to Bloomberg, the new refunds are because of changes Amazon made after an internal review. That review may be related to a 2023 consumer lawsuit by a group of Amazon shoppers who claimed that Amazon had reversed their legitimate return-related refunds. 

A representative for Amazon told CNET that only a small number of customers would be affected. 

«Following a recent internal review, we identified a very small subset of returns where we issued a refund without the payment completing, or where we could not verify that the correct item had been sent back to us so no refund was issued,» an Amazon representative said. «There is no action required from customers to receive the refunds, and we have fixed the payment issue.»

In its latest earnings call, Amazon reported a one-time expense of $1 billion connected to refunds that the company had not yet sent out. These earmarked funds could be responsible for the sudden updates that shoppers are now seeing regarding purchases as far back as 2018.

Read more: I’ve Been Tracking Tariff Price Impacts Every Day and Here’s What I’ve Found So Far

If you receive an email about a surprise refund from Amazon orders, it may be related to these changes Amazon has made behind the scenes. You may still want to confirm it’s not fraud by logging into your Amazon account or making a quick service call, especially if it’s a larger amount like a payment for a TV. Scammers may be taking advantage of this news, too, so be wary of any notification that asks you for financial information, which Amazon should already have.

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Expect Record Traffic for Memorial Day Weekend: 6 Money and Time Savers

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Technologies

Memorial Day Sale: Google’s Pixel 9 Series Has Up to $300 Off Right Now

Get the standard Pixel 9 or the more premium Pixel 9 Fold for less with these incredible Memorial Day deals.

Android users who want to upgrade to a shiny new phone are always going to be pleased if they check out the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Right now is a great time to pick one up too, because the Memorial Day deals are in full swing, and they can save you some serious cash.

In fact, right now you can get your hands on this line of phones with up to $300 off right now on Amazon, meaning you can get one for as little as $599. You can save even more money if you’ve got a phone to trade in and go with Best Buy too.

There is so much to love about the Pixel 9 series, including its sleek design, the impressive camera setup and even AI features such as the ability to search for content in screenshots, create images from scratch using Pixel Studio app and more.

Pricing varies depending on which model you choose, along with the exact configurations, but there are plenty of options for nearly everyone right now. As a rule, the base Pixel 9 lists for $799 — but right now you can save $200 and score yours for just $599. It’s also our pick for the best phone for Android purists.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.    

However, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also made the list as the top Google phones you can get. They retail for $999 and $1,099, respectively. However, you can get your hands on the 6.3-inch model for as low as $799 or the 6.8-inch model for as little as $899. Of course, if you’re looking for a foldable phone, you’ll enjoy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It typically starts at $1,799, but it’s down to as low as $1,499 right now — a whopping $300 discount. 

Why this deal matters

Right now you can save up to $300 off select Pixel 9 series phones at Amazon. The Google Pixel 9 series is chock-full of great options with a lot of features we loved, but that usually carries a large price tag. Saving up to $300 goes a long way, and as these prices are at record lows, we don’t expect the cost to drop any lower any time soon. Getting any of these phones at a discount is a great find, but these prices likely won’t stick around for long, so act fast if you’re interested.

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