GHG Emissions, Industrial  -  November 14, 2017

Microsoft to slash CO2 emissions 75% by 2030

^{Editorial credit: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com}

One of the first companies to create an internal price on carbon, Microsoft Corp. on Nov. 14 announced a new commitment to reduce its operational carbon emissions 75% by 2030 against a 2013 baseline.

Amid the United Nations climate conference in Bonn, Germany, Microsoft said it plans to reach that target by continuing its progress toward carbon neutrality and renewable energy use. In a blog post, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said the commitment puts the company "on a path as a company, to meet the goals set in the Paris climate agreement, which is a level of decarbonization that many scientists believe is necessary to keep global temperature increase below 2 degrees Celsius."

Microsoft said reaching this goal will help avoid more than 10 million metric tons of carbon emissions by 2030.

Smith wrote Nov. 14: 

As we expand our global cloud infrastructure, we will increasingly turn to renewable energy because it is a clean power source and gives us better financial predictability. It's good for the environment, our customers and our business. Our cloud-based programs to reduce resource consumption have already cut energy consumption at our main campus in Redmond, Washington by nearly 20 percent, reducing emissions and our power bill. The data we've collected on our energy consumption laid the groundwork for us to now buy our own clean energy at market rates, and we'll soon be powering our Puget Sound campus with 100 percent carbon-free energy. Put simply, the environment and our business both benefit each time we've implemented sustainability targets and goals.

Microsoft joins a host of multinational corporations focused on the U.N. climate conference; the We Are Still In campaign, which represents more than $6.2 trillion of the U.S. economy, has planned a business showcase event in Bonn on Nov. 15 that will include speakers from HP Inc., Walmart, Coca-Cola Co., Target Corp. and more. 

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