Microsoft pledges to remove as much carbon as it has ever emitted
Microsoft pledges to remove as much carbon as it has ever emitted
The tech giant says it is investing $1bn in new technologies to help it meet the goal of erasing its entire carbon footprint
Microsoft has pledged to become "carbon negative" by 2030 before going further and removing as much carbon it has ever emitted from the environment by 2050.
The announcement from the tech giant that it wants to erase its carbon footprint sets it apart from other companies' promises that focus on cutting ongoing or future emissions.
Measures planned to achieve the goal include shifting to renewable energy supply, using electric more vehicles, and working with suppliers to cut their emissions.
Microsoft said that by 2030 it would remove more carbon than it emits.
It would then be "on a path to remove by 2050 all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975".
The company plans to do this using "negative emissions technologies" which could include creating new forests and re-planting in existing ones and soil carbon sequestration - a process of removing carbon dioxide and putting it in the ground.
Microsoft will invest $1bn over the next four years to speed up the development of carbon removal technology.
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