Canva co-founder and billionaire Cameron Adams will donate half of his estimated $4.79billion fortune to address urgent environmental issues.
Mr Adams and his wife, Lisa Miller, announced the move in a letter to global environmental organisation The Giving Pledge.
Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates formed The Giving Pledge in 2010 for the world’s ultra-wealthy to fund global philanthropic projects.
In a letter penned to the group, Mr Adams said he and Ms Miller,a former zoologist, believed ‘with great fortune comes great responsibility’.
‘We recognise that the opportunities we have had in life place us in a position to give generously and act with purpose,’ he wrote.
‘Philanthropy is more than charity; it is a means of addressing systemic issues, driving meaningful change, and ensuring that future generations inherit a world rich in possibility and biodiversity.
‘By joining the Giving Pledge, we aim to emphasise this responsibility and commit our resources to the planet that we all rely on.
‘And this commitment is critical during the next decade.’
Ms Miller has been operating the couple’s Wedgetail Foundation, protecting and restoring biodiversity.
Together they own a 5,000 hectare property in Tasmania that is under development as a conservation research site with the University of Tasmania.
The couple said they have since grown their confidence ‘that these are issues worth fighting for’.
The software billionaire said governments and businesses will be important in preventing ecological declines, but philanthropy ‘has a unique ability to drive bold action’.
‘Through the Giving Pledge we are directing the majority of our wealth toward this, because the alternative – inaction on a dying planet – is unacceptable,’ Mr Adams said.
‘We hope others will recognise the power of philanthropy to create lasting environmental and societal impact by joining us in this commitment.’
Their Wedgetail venture has provided ‘green loans’ to coffee and cacao businesses in the central Americas.
The project has also funded a carbon accounting software platform and a large-scale reforestation project.
The n Financial Review suggests Mr Adams has $7billion in wealth, largely locked up in Canva equity.
Fellow Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht signed the pledge in 2021.
Canva first launched in 2013 before becoming an international success. The company is worth an estimated US$32billion.
Andrew and Nicola Forrest also signed the pledge in 2013. They directed their money to help address poverty and slavery.
‘We feel that if we all do whatever we can with whatever we have, large or small, then each of us will help make our world a more equitable and positive environment for others to thrive in,’ Mr Forrest said at the time.