Microsoft has announced today that starting July 1, it will be carbon neutral across all direct operations including data centers, software development labs, air travel, and office buildings. Kevin Turner, the Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, said that Microsoft is taking a significant step to further reduce its environmental footprint. “We recognize that we are not the first company to commit to carbon neutrality, but we are hopeful that our decision will encourage other companies large and small to look at what they can do to address this important issue,” Turner said.
In addition to its commitment to carbon neutrality, Microsoft is planning to install carbon awareness in every part of its business. To do that, Microsoft has created an accountability model which will make every Microsoft business unit responsible for the carbon they generate. The Redmond giant will also apply an internal carbon fee that will put a price on carbon. “The price will be based on market pricing for renewable energy and carbon offsets, and will be applied to our operations in over 100 countries. The goal is to make our business divisions responsible for the cost of offsetting their own carbon emissions,” Turner added.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized Microsoft as the third largest buyer of green power in the country with more than 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power purchases per year. Turner commented about the subject of climate change and how Microsoft is taking up the ” serious” challenge.
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