Surge In Google’s Emissions By 48% Since 2019, AI And Data Centres Blamed

Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have soared 48% since 2019, according to the tech giant’s annual environment report.

The tech giant has blamed that growth mainly on “increased data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions”.

Three years ago, Google announced an ambitious plan to combat climate change by achieving "net zero" status by 2030, meaning it aims to balance the amount of greenhouse gases it emits with the amount it removes from the atmosphere.

Google now describes its goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030 as "extremely ambitious" and acknowledges that the pledge is likely to face challenges.

Google, along with its tech competitors, has heavily invested in AI, which has a significant drawback: the energy-intensive data centres that suck up tons of energy to process data.

Google anticipates that its overall greenhouse gas emissions will initially increase before eventually declining. This projection comes as the company invests in clean energy sources like wind and geothermal power to fuel its data centres.