Whatever you position on global warming, the fact that CO2 levels are rising is undeniable, and each of us has a part to play and we all have our own carbon footprint. While we can take steps to reduce our individual impact on the environment, it's just as (if not more) important that companies and major institutions take action too, and action is exactly what Microsoft is proposing, after promising to be carbon negative by 2030.
An essential part of Microsoft's plan involves technology they've helped develop that removes carbon from the atmosphere, but it's an expensive process. However, the company has just committed to increasing its support for the initiative to the extent that it'll not only be carbon negative by 2030, it also plans on removing all of the carbon it has produced, ever, by the year 2050.
We're not going to dive into the nuts and bolts of Microsoft's plan, but the company outlined its intentions, backing it up with scientific evidence, over on this blog by MS president Brad Smith.
The company recognises that it's going to be expensive at first, but the hope is that costs will come down as the technology matures and more businesses adopt it, and MS has offered to help its partners get on board and reduce their emissions. The company also promised to shift its entire supply of power to renewable energy by 2025 (2030 if you include plans to electrify the global campus operations vehicle fleet).
It's a bold and expensive move by Microsoft, but a good one nonetheless, and hopefully it will inspire more people and companies to look at their own carbon footprint and try and make a positive difference as we all work together to combat the growing climate crisis.