Big Tech Carbon Emissions Rise Nearly 20% Driven by Datacentre Construction

Jul 11, 2026

Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's collective carbon emissions increased by nearly a fifth in the past year, reaching 119 million metric tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. This figure is roughly a third of France's total emissions and is largely attributed to a boom in datacentre construction. The companies maintain that they still aim to achieve net zero output.

Why it matters: The surge in emissions from major tech firms highlights the environmental cost of expanding AI and cloud infrastructure, challenging their net-zero commitments.

Full story at: The Guardian / AI ↗