IBM pledges net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030

IBM is pledging to achieve carbon neutrality by the end of the decade.

In a statement released Tuesday, the company pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions 65 percent by 2025 compared with 2010 levels. IBM also said it would increase the amount of electricity it consumes from renewable sources to 90 percent by 2030.

The company further vowed to increase the use of carbon capture and other technology to fully offset its residual emissions by 2030 or achieve net negative emissions.

“I am proud that IBM is leading the way by taking actions to significantly reduce emissions,” chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna said in a statement. “The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. IBM’s net zero pledge is a bold step forward that strengthens our long-standing climate leadership and positions our company years ahead of the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement.”

The announcement comes the week after Shell announced its owns plans to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2050.

IBM announced in October that it would divide into two public companies, with its cloud technology directly competing with companies like Amazon and Microsoft. Cloud services accounted for about 1 percent of all electricity use worldwide in 2018, according to the International Energy Agency.

Both Microsoft and Amazon previously made pledges to achieve net zero emissions, with Amazon pledging to achieve it 2040, a decade before the Paris Climate Agreement.

IBM’s pledge does not go as far as Microsoft and Amazon since it doesn’t track supply chain emissions, according to The Verge.

In a 2020 sustainability report, IBM said it has cut carbon emissions 39.7 percent since 2005 and increased the portion of electricity it consumed that comes from renewable sources to 47 percent as of 2019.