Google recently released its Sustainability Report for 2025, which highlighted that Emission levels based on ambition. grew by 11% last year, reaching 11.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, an increase of 51% compared to 2019. With the rapid advancement of AI technology, the demand for energy has surged, making Google’s goal of halving its carbon emissions by 2030 increasingly elusive.
The concept emphasized in the report regarding Emission levels based on ambition. excludes certain sources of supply chain pollution, including specific procurement goods and services, as well as food programs. Google considers these outside its control, hence not included in the carbon emissions of its core business. Furthermore, the data included in the report’s appendix reveals that Google’s actual total emissions amount to 15.1852 million tons of carbon dioxide, a figure that significantly surpasses its publicly stated Based on ambition targets, equivalent to the annual emissions of nearly 40 gas-fired power plants.
Despite a 12% reduction in carbon emissions from its data centers, Google is experiencing a continuous rise in energy usage due to advancements in AI technology. When compared to 2019, the carbon emissions from their data centers remain significantly higher than those levels. Google’s report highlights several factors beyond its Direct Control that make achieving climate goals more challenging, particularly The rapid advancement of AI technology., which complicates the predictability of future energy demands and emissions.
In addition, Google has pointed out issues such as changes in climate and energy-related policies and the slow deployment of carbon-free energy technologies. Certain markets also lack carbon-free energy solutions. Google states that these external factors could impact the costs, feasibility, and timelines of progress, and responding to these challenges requires a flexible approach.
AI technology has significantly increased energy consumption across various companies, including Microsoft and Meta, with projections indicating that their electricity usage will surpass that of Bitcoin by the end of the year. Although AI companies like DeepSeek are striving to develop more energy-efficient models, this hasn’t deterred companies like Meta from constructing large gas-powered data centers in Louisiana. Google has pledged to halve its carbon emissions by 2030 compared to 2019 levels, but current trends suggest that this goal faces substantial challenges, as the rapid advancement of AI technology and rising energy demands are complicating efforts to reduce emissions.
