Microsoft will reach negative carbon emissions by 2030 * will establish a fund of one billion dollars to find removal solutions

"It's an ambitious goal - even audacious - but science tells us that it's a goal of fundamental importance for every person living today and for every generation that will come after them." Microsoft president Brad Smith explains on the company's blog

Avi Blizovsky
Microsoft is the first of the technology giants to join the fight against the climate crisis, announcing an operative plan to reduce its carbon footprint. This was announced on Thursday (January 15.1.2020, XNUMX) by Microsoft President Brad Smith, CFO Amy Hood and CEO Satya Nadella.

Microsoft announced that it will reach negative carbon emissions of its activities and its supply chain activities by 2030. Also, Microsoft will establish a fund of one billion dollars that will join the effort to develop solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

In the explanation on Microsoft's blog, Smith writes: "The scientific consensus is clear. The world is facing an urgent carbon problem. The carbon in our atmosphere has created a heat trap and is changing the world's climate. Already, the Earth's temperature has risen by a degree Celsius. If we don't curb emissions and temperatures continue to rise, science tells us the results will be catastrophic."

As the scientific community warns, human activity has released more than two trillion tons of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere since the beginning of the first industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. More than three-quarters of the gases are carbon dioxide, with most of this carbon emitted since the mid-50s. . This is more carbon than nature can reabsorb, and every year humanity releases more than XNUMX billion tons of additional greenhouse gases into the air. This is not a problem that lasts a few years or even a decade. Once excess carbon enters the atmosphere it can take thousands of years to dissipate."

"The world's climate experts agree that the world must take urgent action to reduce emissions. Ultimately we must reach "net zero" emissions, meaning that humanity must remove the amount of carbon it emits each year. This will require aggressive approaches, new technology that does not exist today, and innovative public policies. It is an ambitious goal - even daring - but science tells us that it is a goal of fundamental importance for every person living today and for every generation that will come after them." adds Smith.

"While the world will have to get to net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster should do so. That's why we're announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate Microsoft's footprint. By 2030 Microsoft will be negative in terms of carbon emissions, and by 2050 Microsoft will have removed from the environment all the carbon that the company has emitted directly or through electricity consumption since its founding in 1975."

"We recognize that progress requires not only a bold goal but a detailed plan. As described below, we are today launching an aggressive plan to reduce our carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, both our direct emissions and those of our supply and value chain. We will fund this in part by expanding our domestic carbon fee, imposed in 2012 and increased last year, to start charging not only our direct emissions, but also those the scientific consensus is clear on. The world is facing an urgent carbon problem. The carbon in our atmosphere has created a gas blanket that traps heat and changes the world's climate. Already now, the temperature of the earth has exceeded Celsius degrees. If we don't curb emissions and temperatures continue to rise, science tells us the results will be catastrophic."

"As the scientific community has concluded, human activity has released more than two trillion tons of greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere since the beginning of the first industrial revolution in the mid-18th century, more than three-quarters of which is carbon dioxide, with most of this carbon emitted since the mid-50s. This is more carbon than nature can reabsorb, and every year humanity releases more than XNUMX billion tons of additional greenhouse gases into the air. This is not a problem that lasts a few years or even a decade. Once excess carbon enters the atmosphere it can take thousands of years to dissipate."

"The world's climate experts agree that the world must take urgent action to reduce emissions. Ultimately we must reach "net zero" emissions, meaning that humanity must remove the amount of carbon it emits each year. This will require aggressive approaches, new technology that does not exist today, and innovative public policies. It is an ambitious goal - even daring - but science tells us that it is a goal of fundamental importance for every person living today and for every generation that will come after them." Smith explains.

Microsoft: negative carbon footprint by 2030

"While the world will have to get to net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and should do so. That's why we're announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate Microsoft's footprint."

"By 2030 Microsoft will be carbon negative, and by 2050 Microsoft will have removed from the environment all the carbon that the company has emitted directly or through electricity consumption since its founding in 1975."

"We recognize that progress requires not only a bold goal but a detailed plan. As described below, we are today launching an aggressive plan to reduce our carbon emissions by more than half by 2030, both for our direct emissions and for our entire supply and value chain. We will fund this in part by expanding our internal carbon fee, which has been in place since 2012 and increased last year, to begin balancing not only our direct emissions, but also those from our supply and value chains.”

"We are also launching an initiative to use Microsoft technology to help our suppliers and customers around the world reduce their carbon footprints, and we will establish a $XNUMX billion fund to accelerate the development of decarbonization technology. From next year, we are also making carbon reduction an explicit aspect of the procurement processes for our supply chain. Our progress on all these fronts will be published in a new annual environmental sustainability report which will detail our impact and carbon reduction journey. And finally, all of this work will support our voices and advocates for public policies that will accelerate opportunities to decarbonize our supply and value chains.

For an article on Microsoft's blog

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