Asian Tech Press (Oct 19) -- Amazon founder Jeff Bezos responded to criticism by saying that investing in space is to protect the Earth, not to abandon the home.

Jeff Bezos received the Galileo Prophets of Philanthropy Award at the Vatican last Friday. During the award ceremony, Bezos spoke about the current challenges facing the Earth and some of his own ideas for protecting it, including what humanity needs to do in the medium and long term.

"Some people ask me why," Bezos said. "Why invest so much into space when there are so many problems to be solved on Earth?"

Bezos's answer is that investing in space ultimately protects the planet, "We go to space not to abandon our home but to protect it."

In 2000, Bezos ventured into the space sector, founding the commercial space company Blue Origin.

In 2020, the U.S. billionaire pledged $10 billion to set up the the Bezos Earth Fund, a fund ready to fight the problems facing the planet in the next decade, such as climate change and environmental protection.

In Friday's speech, Bezos said, "Blue Origin's long-term goal is to move all polluting industries off Earth. That path is long, and we won't see its end in my lifetime."