New Delhi: Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company's goal is to reach net zero emissions across their value chain by the end of 2030.
Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post that reducing overall emissions is critical, but removing carbon from the atmosphere will be important too.
"In addition to my personal investments in carbon removal at CZI, Meta is making a joint $925 million commitment alongside Stripe, Shopify, McKinsey and Alphabet to accelerate the development of carbon removal technologies over the next 9 years. I'm glad to see this kind of collaboration," Zuckerberg further said.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's Role In Tackling Climate Change
CZI, short for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, is an organisation established and owned by Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. According to CZI's official website, the organisation was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society's toughest challenges.
In October, 2021, CZI announced $10 million in funding to the first ever Breakthrough Energy Fellows program, which identifies and supports entrepreneurs and researchers who will work to develop, scale, and commercialise the most promising decarbonisation technologies that have the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 500 million tons per year by 2050.
“We believe in the power of innovation and collaboration to drive impactful change, and are proud to support the new Breakthrough Energy Fellows to create and scale climate and clean energy technologies that will help us reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” CZI co-founders and co-CEOs Chan and Zuckerberg said in a statement.
Meta's Commitment To Combating Climate Change
In November 2021, Meta announced that the company is expanding its Climate Science Center to more than 100 countries to connect more people with factual resources from leading climate organisations.
The company claimed that it will continue adding information labels to posts about climate change and directing people to the Climate Science Center.
Meta also announced the launch of Green Boost, which is a new sustainability training program to help small businesses reduce their carbon emissions and grow sustainably.
Meta wrote in a November 2021 blog post that the company achieved net zero emissions in 2020 for its global operations, and that it is supported by 100 per cent renewable energy.
Meta claims that it has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 94 per cent since 2017.
The company has also committed to become water positive by 2030. This means that the tech giant has set a goal for its operations to restore more water than it uses by 2030.
Meta has also invested in renewable energy and is committed to reaching net zero emissions across its value chain by the end of 2030.
How Does Meta Plan To Tackle Climate Change?
Meta claims to be doing its part in tackling the global challenge of climate change by working to minimise energy consumption, emissions, and water impact, while protecting workers and the environment in its value chain.
"Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face. Delivering essential technologies and reliable climate information to billions of people is at the heart of how Meta can address the crisis. And we believe we can do it with a net zero carbon footprint," Mike Schroepfer, Meta's chief technology officer, was quoted as saying on the company's website.
Meta's strategy to minimise environmental impact is anchored by three components and a science-based target to help drive change across the many communities in which the tech giant operates.
The three components include minimising the environmental footprint through operational excellence, leveraging the company's platform to develop innovative solutions to catalyse climate action, and collaborating with others to drive understanding around the issue.