Microsoft's 2025 Carbon Emissions Jump 25% to 34 Million Tons as Datacenter Buildout Accelerates
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Jul 10
Microsoft's 2025 Carbon Emissions Jump 25% to 34 Million Tons as Datacenter Buildout Accelerates
3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Jul 10
Summary
Microsoft's 2026 sustainability report said its 2025 carbon emissions rose 25% to 34 million metric tons, marking another setback for its climate targets.
Datacenter expansion drove most of the increase, while Microsoft's decision last February to stop buying certain unbundled renewable energy certificates also lifted its reported emissions.
The report said AI infrastructure is pushing up demand for energy, water, land and materials faster than sustainability solutions can scale.
Microsoft has pledged to become carbon negative by 2030, but its 2024 sustainability report had already shown a similar rise in climate pollution.
Other tech groups are reporting similar pressure from AI growth: Google's supply-chain emissions rose 25%, while Amazon reported a 16% increase and said its data centers used 2.5 billion gallons of water in 2025.