Google's Emissions Rise 48% Over Five Years Amid Growing Demand for Artificial Intelligence

According to recent reports, Google's greenhouse gas emissions have increased significantly over the past five years. The company's pollution has surged by 48% since then, with a total of 14.3 million tonnes of carbon equivalent emitted in 2023. This rise is attributed primarily to electricity consumption by data centers and supply chain emissions. Interestingly, this year's emissions saw a 13% increase compared to the previous year. Google attributes this growth to the increasing demand for energy-hungry data centers, particularly due to the development of artificial intelligence (AI). To address climate change, Google has set an ambitious goal to become "net zero" by 2030, meaning it will release no more greenhouse gases into the air than it removes.