Microsoft’s carbon emissions went up 25 percent last year

TechAINewsMicrosoft’s carbon emissions went up 25 percent last yearThe company’s annual sustainability report also says sustainability solutions aren’t keeping up with AI demands.The company’s annual sustainability report also says sustainability solutions aren’t keeping up with AI demands.by Stevie BonifieldJul 10, 2026, 12:04 AM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesStevie Bonifield is a news writer covering all things consumer tech. Stevie started out at Laptop Mag writing news and reviews on hardware, gaming, and AI.Microsoft may once again be struggling to keep up with its own climate goals, according to its 2026 sustainability report. As reported by GeekWire, the report states that Microsoft’s carbon emissions increased 25 percent in 2025, totalling 34 million metric tons “without select interventions.” Microsoft says this was “driven primarily by the expansion of our datacenter infrastructure,” as well as the company’s decision last February to stop purchasing “non-additional, unbundled renewable energy certificates.”Several years ago, Microsoft set itself a goal to be carbon negative by 2030, meaning it will need to remove more carbon emissions than it produces. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has faced setbacks toward accomplishing that goal, as its 2024 sustainability report showed a similar rise in climate pollution. This year’s report admits that, “While AI infrastructure is driving demand for energy, water, land, and materials, sustainability solutions are not scaling fast enough to meet demand.”RelatedAI has a water problem — Google thinks it has a fixGoogle similarly reported a 25 percent spike in its supply chain emissions in its 2026 sustainability report, with Amazon reporting a slightly lower 16 percent increase. In June, Amazon also reported that its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025, which it claims is less than Microsoft used.Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Stevie BonifieldAIEnvironmentMicrosoftNewsScienceTechMost PopularMost PopularI spent a week using the Trump phone — it sucksPolestar owners left ‘holding the bag’ after EV brand pulls out of the USXreal’s new AR glasses are way cheaper and almost just rightApple sues OpenAI for allegedly stealing hardware secretsI’m filling in at The Verge for 6 weeks. Ask me anything!The Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad