Google's carbon emissions underreported, study reveals
A fresh report says Google's carbon emissions have jumped 65% since 2019—way more than the company's own claim of a 51% rise.
The main culprit? Huge demand for AI and data centers, which has pushed their emissions up over 1,500% since 2010.
Google uses 'market-based' accounting
Google uses "market-based" accounting that factors in renewable energy purchases and offsets, making their numbers look better on paper.
But when researchers used local grid data instead, they found Google's data center electricity use shot up by 121% in just five years.
Water use also spiked by 27% last year
It's not just carbon—Google's water use also spiked by 27% last year, enough to supply millions of people for nearly two months.
Even with some efficiency gains, emissions still rose sharply in 2023 thanks to rapid AI growth.
If this keeps up, Google could miss its net-zero goal for 2030 unless it makes bigger changes across its whole operation.