Updated January 17th, 2020 at 18:13 IST
Microsoft pledges to erase its Carbon Footprint - past and future, here’s how
Microsoft promised to completely remove alcarbon it is responsible for releasing, making it one of the fortune 500 companies to address issues of climate change
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Tech giant Microsoft on January 16 promised to completely remove all carbon it is responsible for emitting in the company's 45-year-history. Microsoft's pledge makes it one of the few fortune 500 companies addressing the issues of climate change. Jeff Bezos-led Amazon also pledged to bring down their carbon emissions to zero.
The Satya Nadella-led company's focus on removing carbon makes its climate goals different from other pledges which have particularly focused on reducing ongoing carbon emissions or trying to stop future emissions.
Technology can cause more harm than good
In a public address in Washington, Satya Nadella said that the past 10 years have taught everyone that technology has the capability to cause more harm than good. He said that it is high time to mend the effects of climate change, adding that rising temperatures across the world could lead to disastrous consequences.
We have a responsibility to ensure that our actions and the products we build benefit everyone on the planet – and the planet itself. That’s why today we are making new commitments to address climate change. https://t.co/CzpeUpVhzs
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella)
Satya Nadella's pledge to cut down carbon emissions prompted a lot of people to applaud the CEO on his promise.
Finally, after deafening silence from tech in addressing climate change in a meaningful way, much needed leadership. Maybe @JeffBezos can take a page from this
— Hellen Omwando (@hellenomwando)
Read: EU To Propose One Trillion-euro Plan To Make The Continent Carbon Neutral
Every corporate and political leader should include in his agenda the environment protection as one of the main goal to achieve.
— Confession Place (@PlaceConfession)
World needs more loyal leaders, the greedy one are already destroying the world.
Read: Investigators Find Carbon Monoxide Leaks In Public Housing
Many thanks 🙏 to @satyanadella Climate change has various consequences for sea level changes, plant life, mass extinctions and also affects human societies. So we need do something to save our planet and it's everyone's responsibility who lives in this planet.
— JP@369 (@JayaprakashG369)
Zero-carbon emission plan
According to reports, Microsoft's plan includes the creation of a Climate Innovation Fund which will infuse capital worth $1 billion over a period of next four years to increase the speed to develop carbon removal technology.
The tech giant plans to cut carbon emissions by more than half by the year 2030 across its supply chain. According to reports, Microsoft said that it charges a sum of $15 per metric ton for core carbon emissions internally.
According to reports, Microsoft can implement 'zero-carbon emission' plan by creating new forests and increasing the cover of existing ones. Another way is soil carbon sequestration, a process of putting carbon back into the ground by adding microbes and nutrients into the ground.
Also, producing bio-energy with capturing carbon is a feasible option, eg- growing crops and capturing the CO2 being emitted. Plants are burned to produce heat or used to make fuels such as bioethanol.
Read: Prakash Javadekar: 'India To Achieve Its Carbon Emission Target Soon'
Read: Shipping Industry Proposes Fund To Tackle Carbon Emissions
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Published January 17th, 2020 at 18:13 IST