WASHINGTON – In response to Microsoft’s announcement today about its commitment to be “Carbon Negative by 2030”, Greenpeace Senior Climate Campaigner Elizabeth Jardim said:
“Microsoft’s announcement shows the company is trying to address the climate crisis in a more serious and holistic way than it has in the past. Until today, Microsoft has largely relied on renewable energy credits to offset its use of dirty energy throughout its operations, including the massive data centers that power its Azure cloud. Microsoft’s commitment to 100% renewable electricity for its own operations by 2025 with an additional goal to halve supply chain emissions by the end of this decade demonstrates that it is a company that understands climate science and the shrinking window for action. By giving its customers greater transparency about their cloud-related emissions, Microsoft will help catalyze climate action by a broader range of businesses, who increasingly have their own sustainability goals.
“While there is a lot to celebrate in Microsoft’s announcement, a gaping hole remains unaddressed: Microsoft’s expanding efforts to help fossil fuel companies drill more oil and gas with machine-learning and other AI technologies. Teaming up with Exxon, BP, Chevron and others to extract more oil and gas is a major disconnect and makes the climate crisis worse. To truly become carbon negative, Microsoft must end its AI contracts with Big Oil.”