With wildfires in Australia reaching unprecedented levels in recent months, concerns about climate change have reached new heights. Unfortunately, big tech — despite being an innovative, progressive industry — has been largely absent from the discussion, save from a few startup initiatives and meager donations. This move from Microsoft, however, could turn the tide and spur more tech giants to take the climate crisis more seriously and make an effort to truly put the future of the planet first.
Microsoft’s Carbon Negative Pledge Explained
Microsoft announced today a plan to make the company carbon negative by 2030. This means that Microsoft intends to remove more carbon than it is emitting into the environment by that time. Additionally, Microsoft says that, by 2050, it will have removed all the carbon dioxide that the company has released since its founding in 1975. And to say that’s an impressive feat would be a bit of an understatement. Somehow, that’s not all. Microsoft also announced that it would be investing $1 billion over the next four years in a new “climate innovation fund to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal technologies,” which is a sizable investment, as long as you don’t look at Bill Gates’ net worth.
Why Microsoft Going Carbon Negative Matters
This kind of effort is Herculean even by Microsoft’s impressive standards. The Seattle-based tech giant has been carbon neutral since 2012 and has even been internally charging business entities for carbon emissions, so its commitment to going green is more than apparent. But the significance of this move goes far beyond a single company. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though. While going carbon negative is certainly a positive, it’s worth noting that “carbon capture” technology is far from perfect. Climate activists have pointed out that it does nothing to dissuade fossil fuel users from slowing down, and studies have shown that it’s simply not as effective as replacing them with renewable energy. After all, when oil and gas companies are investing in the tech, it’s safe to say there’s likely an ulterior motive.
Green Pledges in the Tech Industry
The reality is that change isn’t going to come easy in regards to solving the climate problem. Industries are going to have to make these huge investments if they want to actually make an impact. While Microsoft is setting a good example, a climate activist’s work is truly never done, because we’ve taken this long to start taking it seriously. So, good job, Microsoft; now get to it.
