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Facebook posts second annual sustainability report in two months

While this progress is important, our collective work is far from over, says VP of infrastructure Rachel Peterson

Facebook has released a second annual sustainability report, describing progress on reducing its operational carbon emissions, slashing its water waste and improving the energy efficiency of its data centres and office buildings.

The report confirms the tech giant slashed its operational greenhouse gas emissions by 94 per cent on 2017 levels in 2020, far exceeding its goal of achieving a 75 per cent reduction.

The report also highlights how investments in a number of 'high-quality' carbon removal projects enabled Facebook to achieve 'net zero emissions' status in 2020. Forestry schemes in East Africa and the Mississippi River Basin were among a portfolio of projects that helped to remove 145,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the company said.

In addition, the report reveals Facebook's plans to invest in "emerging" carbon removal technologies, like direct air capture systems, in the future, arguing that nature-based solutions were a "bridging mechanism" as it worked to deliver on its longer-term decarbonisation goals.

The report is published two months after Facebook announced it had surpassed its 2020 decarbonisation goal, having achieved net zero operational emissions and transitioned its global operations on to clean energy supplies.

The report highlights that Facebook's wind and solar project portfolio topped 5.9GW in 2020 with the firm increasing its operating portfolio to more than 2.8GW.

On water, it calculates that Facebook restored more than 1.5 times its total water consumption to the watersheds where it operates in 2020, returning nearly 5.8 million cubic metres of water to high water stress regions. The firm expects to continue to restore approximately six million cubic metres of water each year through 10 water projects in four high-risk regions, it stated.

In a blog post, Facebook's director of sustainability Edward Palmieri emphasised that having met its own clean power supply goal the firm would continue to invest in clean energy projects as it works towards it aim of achieving net zero supply chain by 2030.

"Sustainability is at the core of how we operate, and as our operations continue to grow, we will continue to look for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and new renewable energy projects that support our operations going forward," he said. "We will continue to build transparency into our strategy and reporting to hold ourselves accountable to our commitment to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our value chain in 2030."

In the report, the company said its approach to decarbonisation also included a commitment to ensure its products and services "accelerate access to authoritative information and encourage positive information on climate".

More than three million people globally follow the Climate Science Information Centre launched on the Facebook platform in September 2020, it claimed, with roughly 300,000 visitors visiting the dedicated climate science space on a daily basis.

Facebook also emphasised that it had launched a 'Climate Conversation Map' in 2020, a tool that allows academic researchers and green NGOs to better understand how climate conservations are happening on our platforms.

Facebook has faced repeated criticism in recent years from campaigners, lawmakers, and scientists who argue it has failed to adequately tackle the rapid spread of climate misinformation on its platforms, which include Instagram and WhatsApp.

Calls for Facebook to step up its efforts to clamp down on 'climate denialism' grew louder last summer after an investigation revealed conservative groups in the US had successfully campaigned for the overruling of 'false' warnings on posts scientific experts had marked as climate disinformation.

Writing in the report's introduction Rachel Peterson, Facebook vice president of infrastructure, emphasised the need for businesses to tackle the ongoing climate emergency. "While this progress is important, our collective work is far from over," she said. "Businesses must continue to take strong, quick action to combat climate change's toll on our planet."

"As we continue to innovate and implement solutions to drive climate action, we will work to ensure that our solutions take into account the people who are most affected by climate change so that the world can see a safer, cleaner, and healthier tomorrow," she added.

A version of this story first appeared on BusinessGreen

Facebook posts second annual sustainability report in two months

While this progress is important, our collective work is far from over, says VP of infrastructure Rachel Peterson

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