Sunday, July 12, 2026HotTea verified storyVerified 5:36 AM PDT
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Microsoft, Amazon, and Google's combined emissions rose nearly 18% in a year.

The Guardian calculated from company sustainability reports that the three companies emitted 119 million metric tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in the financial year ending March 2026, up from roughly 101 million, with datacenter construction a major driver.

Verified 5:36 AM PDT · 1 original sources

The evidence

What the reporting establishes

What happened

The Guardian calculated from company sustainability reports that the three companies emitted 119 million metric tonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent in the financial year ending March 2026, up from roughly 101 million, with datacenter construction a major driver.

Pressure point

The total combines company disclosures and does not isolate AI's exact share. The firms retain net-zero targets, but their current construction and supply-chain emissions are moving in the opposite direction.

What to watch

Annual absolute emissions, construction versus operational shares, power sourcing, carbon-credit availability, datacenter spending, and whether 2030 and 2040 net-zero plans gain credible near-term milestones.

Audit the story

Original sources

Company claims remain company claims. Follow the reporting and judge the evidence directly.

  1. The GuardianDatacentres drive up big tech's carbon emissions to a third of those of France

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