Amazon’s decarbonization efforts are being undermined because of its push to become a leader in generative AI. Its latest TheSustainability report admits that its overall carbon emissions have grown for the first since 2022. It reported a six-percent increase in its carbon footprint between 2024 and blamed the data center rollout.
This reported increase is significant, given Amazon’s own method of reporting its environmental impact. Critics claim that the mega-retailer has “drastically undercounted” its impact by excluding standard metrics. Amazon’s climate reporting methodology was revised in 2022. This also caused the company’s numbers to fall dramatically.
The company also reported an increase in emission due to the purchase of electricity from outside sources. The report states that “the increased energy demand is due to AI chips,” which “requires more electricity and cooling than conventional chips.” Amazon is also building large to increase its server capacities. The construction of data centers, as well fuel consumption by logistics contractors, has led to a six percent increase in indirect emissions. The company’s own fossil fuel emissions increased seven percent in 2024. This is not a great endorsement. Amazon
is a cofounder ofThe Climate Pledge (), an initiative to achieve net zero emissions by the year 2040. The initiative has nowbeen signed by 549 peopleincluding MasterCard, Sony, and Snap.inc. CNBC reported that the majority of this money would be spent by Amazon Web Services, the company’s data centers and web hosting arm. Amazon’s 2025 report is likely to follow the same upward trend as construction continues.
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