Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have increased by 48% since 2019 [Video]

Google just released its annual sustainability report on Tuesday, and the numbers aren’t great. The company revealed its greenhouse gas emissions have increased by almost 50 percent over the last five years, which hasn’t been helped by AI’s considerable energy consumption. It looks like Google has a long way to go before its anywhere near its goal of net zero emissions by 2030.

The most egregious statistic in Google’s 2024 Environmental Report is the tech giant’s whopping 48 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2019, the base year against which the company’s progress is tracked. That’s a 13 percent increase year on year, amounting to 14.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

For comparison, the average car produces 4.6 tonnes per annum, meaning Google emitted more greenhouse gas than over 3.1 million cars last year. 

Google’s report blamed this jump primarily on “increases in data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions.” In …