British Technology Giant Pledges to Become Carbon Net-Zero

Modified date: October 17, 2018

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BT recently made an announcement not long ago to help limit global warming to 1.5C by reducing emissions by 87% by 2030. However, with the recent UN’s warning that there are just 12 years left to keep global warming increases to a maximum 1.5C, BT has decided to increase the target to a zero-carbon future.

The technology company has a track record of reducing emissions for more than 20 years by reducing their emissions more than 80% since 1996.

How BT will use renewable energy

BT is reducing operational emissions by switching to 100% renewable energy. In addition, BT is attempting to reduce emissions from customer operations and products which contributed to carbon savings worth more than £5.3bn last year.

BT currently purchases 1% of the UK’s annual electricity, with the UK pushing towards an 80% reduction in carbon emissions under the Climate Change Act. Following the publication of the IPCC report, the UK Government is now seeking advice from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) on what a net-zero goal would look like.

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Commenting on BT’s announcement, the CCC’s chairman Lord Deben said:

“Congratulations to BT on their net zero target, a very fitting way of celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Climate Change Act. I very much hope that other great companies will follow this lead.”

BT will continue to increase renewable electricity investments, transition its fleets to low-emission vehicles and decarbonize its building portfolio to help reach its science-based target and the subsequent net-zero goal.

Tech companies to lead the pack in Carbon Net-Zero

Recently, Google has also announced its plans to be powered completely by green energy in the upcoming years through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA). Google purchases addential renewable electricity when generation is high through PPA, ensuring that its overall carbon footprint from energy in cancelled out. Although this is an imperfect solution, it is a step in the right direction to finding green power around the clock.