Thousands of Amazon employees ask the company to adopt a climate change plan

In an open letter to Amazon’s board of directors and CEO Jeff Bezos, thousands of employees have asked the company to adopt a wide-ranging plan to fight climate change.

“Amazon has the resources and scale to spark the world’s imagination and redefine what is possible and necessary to address the climate crisis,” the letter reads. “We believe this is a historic opportunity for Amazon to stand with employees and signal to the world that we’re ready to be a climate leader.”

The letter, which had received more than 3,500 signatures by midday Wednesday, is the latest example of tech industry employees going public to pressure leadership into action. Workers at companies like Google and Microsoft have organized around a range of issues. Amazon itself has faced previous pushback from employees as well: last year, a group of workers criticized the company’s decision to sell facial recognition tools to law enforcement.

Employees, citing Amazon’s work for oil and gas companies and what they describe as insufficient plans for action on climate change, are asking the company to commit to several goals. Among them, they ask the company to make “a complete transition away from fossil fuels,” and to advocate politically for climate-friendly policies. They also ask the company to adopt a shareholder resolution calling for a climate change plan.

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson highlighted company initiatives, like work to reduce the carbon footprint of shipments, and described Amazon’s commitment to environmental issues as “unwavering.”

“Amazon’s sustainability team is using a science-based approach to develop data and strategies to ensure a rigorous approach to our sustainability work,” the spokesperson said. “We have launched several major and impactful programs and are working hard to integrate this approach fully across Amazon.”

“In our mission to become ‘Earth’s most customer-centric company,’ we believe our climate impact must be a top consideration in everything we do,” the employees’ letter reads. “We have the power to shift entire industries, inspire global action on climate, and lead on the issue of our lifetimes.”

Update, 1:54PM ET: Includes statement from Amazon spokesperson.