Environment: How Microsoft Plans to Remove Carbon Footprint
Technology company Microsoft Corp. announced Thursday (January 16) an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove its carbon footprint. By 2030, Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.
At an event at its Redmond campus, Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, President Brad Smith, Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood, and Chief Environmental Officer Lucas Joppa announced the company’s new goals and a detailed plan to become carbon negative.
“While the world will need to reach net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so. That’s why today we are announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove Microsoft’s carbon footprint,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith.
The company announced an aggressive program to cut carbon emissions. This includes driving down its direct emissions and emissions related to the energy it uses to near zero by the middle of this decade.
It also announced a new initiative to use Microsoft technology to help its suppliers and customers around the world reduce their own carbon footprints and a new $1 billion climate innovation fund to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture and removal technologies.
