Microsoft Commits to Become Carbon Negative by 2030
In a recent interview with CNBC’s Jim Cramer, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke with great passion about the company becoming climate negative by 2030. The CEO also took it a step further by mentioning plans for the company, by 2050, to remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975!
Microsoft’s plan includes a $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund that would be invested over four years in carbon removal technology. The Climate Innovation Fund will be used to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal technologies. The plan “will require technology by 2030 that doesn’t fully exist today,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said.
The broad scientific community has concluded that human activity has released more than 2 trillion metric tons of greenhouse gases into the Earth’s atmosphere since the start of the First Industrial Revolution(mid-1700s). Over three-quarters of this is carbon dioxide. This is more carbon than nature can re-absorb, and every year humanity pumps more than 50 billion metric tons of additional greenhouse gases into the air. Once excess carbon enters the atmosphere it can take thousands of years to dissipate.
Some the carbon footprint initiatives that the company will embark on is this:
- By 2025, Microsoft will shift to 100 percent supply of renewable energy, meaning that they will have power purchase agreements for green energy contracted for 100 percent of carbon emitting electricity consumed by all data centers, buildings, and campuses.
- Will electrify global campus operations vehicle fleet by 2030.
- Pursue International Living Future Institute Zero Carbon certification and LEED Platinum certification for the Silicon Valley Campus and Puget Sound Campus Modernization projects.
- By 2030 Microsoft will remove more carbon than it emits, setting on a path to remove by 2050 all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.
- Will achieve this through a portfolio of negative emission technologies (NET) potentially including afforestation and reforestation, soil carbon sequestration, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCs), and direct air capture (DAC).
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