Electricity Isn’t the Only Driver of Big Tech’s Surging Emissions

When I helped start Heatmap News three years ago, I didn’t think I would be writing this much about big tech companies. I knew that, sure, they were crucial to America’s ability to develop and scale some next-generation emissions-reducing technologies.

First covered Jul 10, 2026 · 4:42 PM PT · 2 articles

Coverage

2d Heatmap News Electricity Isn’t the Only Driver of Big Tech’s Surging Emissions — When I helped start Heatmap News three years ago, I didn’t think I would be writing this much about big tech companies.

Primary sources

sustainability.aboutamazon.com Climate solutions - Amazon Sustainability — cited by 2 of the outlets above

blogs.microsoft.com Microsoft will be carbon negative by 2030 - The Official Microsoft Blog — cited by 2 of the outlets above

microsoft.com Sustainability | Microsoft — cited by 2 of the outlets above

Related coverage

2d Wired Science Microsoft Reports a Massive 25 Percent Jump in Emissions

2d Guardian Environment Datacentres drive up big tech’s carbon emissions to a third of those of France

More coverage from around the web

fortune.com Big tech was embracing clean energy and turning a corner on climate change. Then AI data centers arrived | Fortune

bloomberg.com Big Tech Has an AI-Sized Hole in Plans to Cut Emissions - Bloomberg

eweek.com Big Tech Carbon Emissions Rise as AI Data Center Expansion Accelerates | eWeek

washingtonpost.com Silicon Valley is building a shadow power grid for data centers across the U.S.

carbonbrief.org AI: Five charts that put data-centre energy use – and emissions – into context - Carbon Brief

Appeared in: 2026-07-13 (#14)

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