{"id":3697,"date":"2020-01-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www-prod.greenpeace.org\/usa\/campaign-updates\/3697\/microsoft-google-amazon-energy-oil-ai-climate-hypocrite\/"},"modified":"2024-11-22T04:58:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T04:58:43","slug":"microsoft-google-amazon-energy-oil-ai-climate-hypocrite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/usa\/microsoft-google-amazon-energy-oil-ai-climate-hypocrite\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft, Google, Amazon \u2013 Who\u2019s the Biggest Climate Hypocrite?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With all the frenzy around Microsoft\u2019s carbon negative announcement, it would seem that cloud companies are champing at the bit to lead on climate solutions. But the truth is more complicated…<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean Our Cloud Action in Seattle
Greenpeace activists hang a cloud-shaped banner outside of Amazon.com’s headquarters, and across the street from Microsoft offices, reading “Amazon, Microsoft: How Clean is Your Cloud?” Greenpeace demands that the companies switch to renewable energy sources to power their cloud computing data centers and stop providing cloud and AI services to the oil industry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the world\u2019s biggest tech companies want you to know they take climate change seriously. In fact, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have each developed a plan to address its contributions to climate change. While each company\u2019s plan is unique, none address their problematic contracts that help oil majors use artificial intelligence to extract more oil and gas.<\/p>\n

Here we unpack Amazon, Microsoft, and Google\u2019s sustainability plans. While each company earns hypocrisy points, Amazon is trailing the pack on climate action. And to make matters worse–rather than rise to the challenge, Amazon is currently threatening employees who speak out on its climate plan.<\/p>\n

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Amazon: A Pledge Without A Plan<\/h2>\n

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What\u2019s in it?<\/h3>\n

In September 2019, Jeff Bezos unveiled a new corporate \u201cClimate Pledge<\/a>\u201d and signed up Amazon as the first participant. With this pledge, Amazon finally set a deadline to reach 100% renewable energy \u2014 2030 \u2014 and net zero carbon by 2040. The company also said it will invest in electric delivery vehicles and carbon offset projects, but without more detailed transparency about Amazon\u2019s climate impacts, it\u2019s hard to judge how significant these investments are.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s missing? Details and Plans to Cover Whole Carbon Footprint<\/h3>\n

Amazon did not elaborate on how it would procure the renewables to meet its 2030 deadline. To date, we know the company has used a mix of solar and wind projects and renewable energy credits (RECs), which isn\u2019t the best way to actually phase out fossil fuels from the electricity grid. The company also failed to elaborate on how it will drive its whopping 44.4 million tons CO2e carbon footprint down to zero in the next two decades. Reporting this figure was a first for Amazon, but the company remains the least transparent among the big three cloud companies, failing to provide even basic information about its energy demand. Without more details on Amazon\u2019s energy demand by region, it\u2019s impossible to judge the impact of Amazon\u2019s renewable energy projects. In some places, like Virginia<\/a>, Amazon\u2019s rapid data center growth has far outpaced its renewable investment, and is therefore taking the state in the wrong direction. Data center energy demand is in fact being used by Dominion Power to justify building the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a $7.5 billion dollar fracked gas pipeline that ratepayers will be forced to pay for.<\/p>\n

Amazon\u2019s renewable commitment also only covers its own operations and electricity use, but leaves out its supply chain \u2014 which, in Amazon\u2019s case, is more than 75% of its overall carbon footprint<\/a>. Amazon Web Services is the largest cloud service provider in the world, with an ever growing network of data centers<\/a>, often situated in locations with dirty forms of energy. What\u2019s more, with a delivery network as vast as Amazon\u2019s, the company should set more aggressive goals to transition to a fully electric fleet and other lower carbon options. Plus, Amazon is offering<\/a> machine learning and other AI technologies to oil companies like BP, Shell and others. That\u2019s essentially two steps back for every step forward, Amazon.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/AMZNforClimate\/status\/1221842637168074752<\/p>\n

It gets worse \u2013 Amazon has threatened to fire employees for speaking out about the company\u2019s climate policy. Just yesterday, 357 workers released statements in solidarity, condemning this bullying and calling for strong renewable energy commitments<\/a>. Show your solidarity \u2014 send a message to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos<\/a> to let him know you support these brave employees.<\/p>\n

Microsoft: The \u201cMoonshot\u201d that Misses the Mark<\/h2>\n

What\u2019s in it?<\/h3>\n

In January 2020<\/a>, Microsoft increased its renewable energy ambition from 70% by 2023 to 100% by 2025. Notably, the company explicitly stated it would achieve this with power purchase agreements which will help to drive new investment in real renewable energy. (Previously the company\u2019s renewable claims were met by more than 75% RECs<\/a>). Microsoft also said that by 2030, it would neutralize all of its carbon emissions, including supply chain emissions, and then keep going with a long term goal to offset all historical emissions (that the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption) by 2050. In addition to the proceeds from its internal carbon tax, Microsoft says it will invest $1 billion in climate innovation.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s missing? Internal Reckoning on the Causes of Climate Change<\/h3>\n
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While there is a lot to celebrate in @Microsoft<\/a>\u2019s announcement, a gaping hole remains: Microsoft is helping Big Oil extract more oil and gas with its artificial intelligence technologies.<\/p>\n

— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) January 16, 2020<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n