Last month the world's richest man, Jeff Bezos, flew into space on his own rocket designed and built by his own Blue Origin space program.
Despite Bezos only being in space for 4 minutes, the entire venture cost $5.5 billion.
The sheer cost of the short flight, and the little actually scientifically gained from the event has meant many have criticised the Amazon founder, suggesting that this money could have been better spent elsewhere.
Activist Joe McCarthy writing in Global Citizen, outlined just some of the things that Bezos could have done with the money instead.
1. Save 37.5 million people from starving
The World Food program has estimates that had Bezos used the $5.5 billion more effectively it would have resulted in saving 37.5 million people from starvation and malnutrition.
2. Secure 2 billion vaccines for people living in poorer countries
While countries in the developed world are making great progress with their Covid-19 vaccination programs few people in the third-world have been vaccinated. This is in part due to vaccine shortages and lack of investment.
It is estimated that the Bezos space flight could have paid for the vaccines of 2 billion people in the third-world and saved tens-of-millions of lives.
3. Fund urgent humanitarian interventions
The United Nations is currently carrying out urgent humanitarian interventions in countries such as Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of whom are wrecked by years of conflict over resources. The Bezos flight alone could fund UN intervention in these countries for an entire year.
4. Fully fund the International Fund for Agricultural Development
The International Fund for Agricultural Development helps poor people grow food in their own countries and save them from starvation. They help teach farming techniques, ways of improving food production, and protecting crops from climate change. The program this year is short by $350 million, which could have been paid for by 30 seconds of Bezos' space flight.
5. Fully fund Education Cannot Wait
Education Cannot Wait provides education to children who have been impacted by the pandemic. Missing out on education is one of the key drivers for poverty and seriously harms a person's chances of progressing in life. Bezos' flight could have funded the program's fundraising goal three times over.
6. Fight climate change
Bezos could have used his money to make huge inroads into creating green-energy projects o combat the climate emergency. Instead, he spent 4 minutes in space.
Clearly, the priorities of the world, and most of the world's population, are entirely different to those of the world's richest man.
[h/t: Global Citizen]
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