Highlights

• Google has gingerly removed its net-zero pledge from its Sustainability website, raising concerns over its 2030 climate goal.
• AI-driven energy demand is making it harder for the company to meet emissions targets, with electricity use rising 26% in 2024.
• Despite setbacks, Google continues to invest in renewable energy and carbon removal projects as well as recalibrate its climate strategy.

Google made global headlines in 2020 when its CEO, Sundar Pichai, pledged that the company would run on carbon-free energy 24/7 by 2030.

At the time, this goal was presented as a top priority in the fight against climate change, making Google one of the first big tech firms to set such an ambitious target. However, five years later, the company’s climate journey has taken a different turn.

In June 2024, Google’s Sustainability website still displayed its net-zero pledge as a headline priority. By July, the promise had been quietly removed from the main section of the site and downgraded to an appendix in its sustainability report.

Read More: US Companies Quietly Rebrand DEI as Backlash Grows

Google insists that it stays committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2030, but acknowledges that this target has become far more complex due to the soaring energy demands of artificial intelligence (AI).

The company’s latest Environment 2025 report shows why the challenge is mounting.

Running AI-powered data centres requires enormous amounts of electricity, and Google’s energy use rose 26% in 2024 alone, nearly equalling the entire consumption of Ireland.

A single message to its Gemini AI model now uses measurable amounts of power, which shows the scale of the issue. As Big Tech races to build larger and more powerful data centres, experts warn of a “climate strategy crisis”, with emissions targets becoming increasingly difficult to meet.

Despite these pressures, Google points to some progress. In 2024, it reported a 12% reduction in data centre emissions by bringing new clean energy projects online.

The company has also invested $200 million in carbon removal technologies and continues to ink renewable energy deals, including wind, hydropower, and geothermal. Yet, critics say that the silent removal of its net-zero headline contrasts with Microsoft and Amazon, which still see net zero as a top priority.

Analysts believe Google’s move indicates a broader recalibration. Many corporations are now adjusting sustainability goals to be more realistic, with less reliance on carbon offsets.

Also Read: UN: AI Fuelled 150% Rise in Tech Giants’ Data Centre Emissions

Some quarters see this as a positive shift, urging companies to prioritise practical solutions over lofty but unrealistic targets. Yet other quarters warn that scaling back public pledges could erode trust in climate commitments just as AI-driven power demand transforms the energy landscape.

In effect, Google is caught between its climate ambitions and the realities of AI expansion. While the company insists its 2030 net-zero target stands, the removal of its pledge from a prominent position on its website has raised questions about its ability — and willingness — to deliver on one of its most high-profile promises.

Ends/

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Source: Canada's National Observer