Microsoft’s carbon emissions rose 25 percent last year

Microsoft may once again struggle to keep up with its climate goals, according to a report Sustainability Report 2026. As reported GeekWireThe report notes that Microsoft’s carbon emissions increased by 25 percent in 2025, reaching a total of 34 million metric tons “without specific interventions.” Microsoft says this was “primarily driven by the expansion of our data center infrastructure,” as well as the company’s infrastructure The decision was made last February To stop purchasing “non-additive and decommissioned renewable energy certificates.”

Several years ago, Microsoft set itself a goal Be carbon negative by 2030Which means it will need to remove more carbon emissions than it produces. This is not the first time that Microsoft has faced setbacks in achieving this goal Sustainability Report 2024 It showed a similar rise in climate pollution. This year’s report acknowledges that “while AI infrastructure is increasing demand for energy, water, land and materials, sustainability solutions are not expanding fast enough to meet demand.”