It sounds like a dystopian science fiction novel — as climate change cooks oceans and forests , a pandemic endangers billions of people , and world hunger surges , a handful of mega-wealthy men are pumping billions of dollars into their own personal space travel companies.
But it’s happening right now and David Beasley, the head of the World Food Program, thinks that money could be put to better use.
In a tweet on June 26, Beasley called on Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and Elon Musk to contribute the $6 billion needed to save41 million people in 43 countries who are at risk of starving this year. It might sound like a big ask, but for these billionaires it’s an amount that’s tantamount to pocket change.
Bezos is worth $192.6 billion, Branson is worth $6.3 billion, and Musk is worth $165.9 billion. Together, that’s $364.8 billion, which could prevent people from starving to death 60 times over, according to Beasley’s estimation.
