Key facts
- Amazon's chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst admitted the company does not know how it will achieve its net-zero carbon emissions goal by 2040.
- Amazon is one of the largest purchasers of clean energy globally, with 42 gigawatts in its portfolio.
- The company's carbon intensity rose in the past year compared to 2024, though it remains below 2022 levels.
- Amazon plans to build a 7.65 gigawatt natural gas power plant to support an AI data center campus.
- The natural gas plant could release up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, making it the largest single source of that pollution in the U.S.
Amazon's chief sustainability officer, Kara Hurst, admitted on Tuesday that the company does not have a clear plan to achieve its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Speaking at an Axios event, Hurst stated, "We are still striving towards that target," and later added, "I am not going to sit here and say, ‘We know all the ways that we’re going to do this.’"
Hurst acknowledged that tackling climate change requires collaboration between companies and governments, and that Amazon leads where it can. She highlighted Amazon's significant investment in clean energy, noting it is one of the largest purchasers of clean energy in the world with 42 gigawatts in its portfolio. The company has also worked to reduce its carbon intensity, though it rose in the past year compared to 2024, remaining below 2022 levels.
Despite these efforts, Amazon's sprawling operations across sectors like aviation, AI, agriculture, and construction present a complex challenge for decarbonization. The company acknowledges its commitments are self-imposed, with Hurst reiterating that "That commitment hasn’t changed."
However, Amazon has also faced scrutiny for decisions that appear to contradict its climate goals. Earlier this year, reports revealed plans for a 7.65 gigawatt natural gas power plant to fuel an AI data center campus. This project, with its 35 turbines, could emit up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, potentially making it the largest single source of CO2 pollution in the U.S. The article suggests that for a company like Amazon, which operates the world's largest cloud service and sees AI as a significant revenue driver, the pursuit of growth may overshadow climate commitments, leaving future generations to address the environmental consequences.