Greenhouse gas emissions from major digital companies worldwide rose 1.2% year on year to 301 million tonnes in 2024. Emissions from 4 major AI-focused companies have nearly doubled from 2020 levels.
A report released by the UN-affiliated ITU by the 26th found that greenhouse gas emissions from major digital companies worldwide totaled 301 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024, up 1.2% from the previous year. Emissions from 4 companies, including AI-focused Microsoft, have nearly doubled from 2020 levels. Concerns are growing over whether progress in decarbonization can keep pace with the sharp increase in electricity demand.
The report assessed climate-change measures based on materials from 200 companies, including Japanese companies such as NTT and SoftBank. Only 25 companies procure electricity exclusively from renewable sources. The combined electricity consumption of the 163 companies that disclosed their electricity use accounted for approximately 1.7% of the global total, exceeding that of Australia.