Microsoft pledges to become 'carbon negative' by 2030

Microsoft to create $1bn fund to accelerate development of carbon-tackling technologies

Software giant Microsoft has announced an ambitious plan to become carbon negative by 2030.

It came at an event held at Microsoft's Redmond campus to discuss the company's commitment to sustainability.

In the event, CEO Satya Nadella also announced to set up a new $1 billion Climate Innovation Fund to speed up development of renewable and carbon-tackling technologies.

Microsoft added that it wants to remove by 2050 "all of the carbon" it has ever released into atmosphere since it was founded in 1975

In recent years, a number of technology companies have pledged to cut their carbon emissions in an effort to fight climate change and climate change. For example, Amazon announced last year that it plans to go carbon neutral by 2040.

Microsoft's plan, however, goes beyond Amazon's pledge as the company intends to become carbon negative within next 10 years.

The term "carbon neutral" means releasing net zero carbon emissions into the Earth's atmosphere - offsetting activities that generate carbon emissions, on the one hand, with actions that ought to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, on the other.

'Carbon negative', meanwhile, means acting to remove more carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere than the amount released into the atmosphere.

Microsoft added that it wants to remove by 2050 "all of the carbon" it has ever released into atmosphere since it was founded in 1975.

"It is an ambitious - even audacious - goal, but science tells us that it's a goal of fundamental importance to every person alive today and for every generation to follow," said Brad Smith, Microsoft's president, in a blog post.

"This will take aggressive approaches, new technology that doesn't exist today, and innovative public policy."

Science tells us that it's a goal of fundamental importance to every person alive today and for every generation to follow

According to Microsoft, it will be generating 100 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025, including all electric power consumed by its buildings, campuses and data centres.

Data-processing and the manufacturing facilities of most tech firms release large amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. It is estimated that the sector will contribute nearly 3.6 per cent of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, more than double the level in 2007.

Much of that has been driven by cloud computing and always-connected mobile apps relying on connectivity.

Microsoft says it plans to halve its emissions from its entire business and supply chain by 2030, which means that the company would be offsetting more carbon from the atmosphere than emitted by it.

It adds that it is already encouraging employees to consider carbon emissions in their business decisions, and also plans to work with customers and suppliers in the coming days to help them cut their carbon footprints.

Microsoft's announcement yesterday trumps many organisation's own environmental initiatives, such as Incisive Media's own sustainability announcement, also announced on Thursday.