Recent sustainability reports from Amazon and Google have painted a concerning picture for climate protection. Both companies reported significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the previous year, primarily attributed to the expansion of data centers to support artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
Amazon’s Emissions Surge by 16 Percent
Amazon’s cumulative greenhouse gas emissions rose from 69.55 million tons of CO2 equivalent in 2024 to 80.85 million tons in 2025, marking a troubling 16% increase. This escalation moves the company’s self-imposed target of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 further out of reach, as indicated in their latest report (PDF).
Interestingly, Amazon’s data centers account for just 3.74 million tons of emissions from purchased electricity, suggesting that other operational aspects also contribute significantly. The company has revealed plans to implement water conservation measures at their facilities in Germany, where water consumption has reached 9.4 billion liters.
Google’s Emissions Climbing Nearly 19 Percent
In Google’s case, data centers are the primary culprits for the emissions increase, which jumped to approximately 18.9 million tons of CO2 equivalent from about 15.9 million tons in the previous year—a nearly 19% rise. Google had initially aimed to halve its emissions by 2030, but challenges posed by rapidly evolving AI infrastructure are complicating those goals, as highlighted by a report in Stern.
According to their 2026 environmental report (PDF), Google consumed a staggering 44 terawatt-hours of energy last year, with a significant 42.4 terawatt-hours directed to its data centers. This marks a nearly 50% increase in energy demand compared to the previous year and a 33% rise in water consumption, which is now at 41.14 billion liters.
AI Boom Exceeding All Goals
Both tech giants, along with others in the industry, are seeing emissions surge primarily due to the rapid expansion of data centers catering to AI applications. A recent study from Allianz Research warns that global electricity consumption by data centers could reach approximately 515 terawatt-hours by 2025, with projections suggesting it could double by 2030, as reported by the Frankfurter Rundschau.
Microsoft is also facing similar challenges regarding its climate targets, as the push for AI infrastructure threatens to derail their sustainability commitments.
