Google And Facebook Become Carbon Neutral Companies

JAKARTA - Search engine giant Google and social media Facebook recently announced its commitment to become a carbon neutral company. The two joined Apple and Microsoft in a commitment not to dump excess carbon into the atmosphere.

The details of the two companies are quite different. Google, which first committed itself to being carbon neutral in 2007, has declared success in offsetting all the carbon it has dumped since its inception in 1998.

In the announcement quoted from The Guardian, Google is also committed to being empowered by renewable energy in the next 2030. That means covering offices, campuses and data centers everywhere, for all its products such as Gmail, Search Engine, YouTube and Maps.

In fact, Google became a "net-zero" company in 2017. It buys a tool to generate renewable energy to suit its use, but cannot fully commit to eliminating carbon emitting plants.

In addition, Google also said it would help bring 5 GW of new carbon-free energy sources online by 2030 in all regions that have physical resources and need access to clean power.

Seeing that, Facebook then followed Google's footsteps which it will fulfill this year, when the company will 100 percent support renewable energy. Facebook has also announced a commitment to net-zero emissions for all of its companies by 2030, including its suppliers and users.

“Over the next decade, Facebook will work to reduce carbon emissions from our operations and value chains. This includes working with suppliers for their own purposes, helping to develop new carbon removal technologies and making facilities as efficient as possible, "said Facebook.

Facebook will also follow similar steps from Apple and Microsoft. In January, Microsoft led a plan to become carbon negative by 2030, and remove all of its carbon emissions by 2050.

In July, Apple announced its own plans to become carbon neutral by 2030. For Apple, that means not only its entire supply chain, but also all of its products, including the electricity used in its company.

The Cupertino, California-based tech giant also plans to plant the same tree with an estimated lifetime carbon emissions from electricity used to charge iPhones.

"The innovations that drive our environmental journey are not only good for the planet, but also help us make our products more energy efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In 2030, Facebook will reach net zero emissions for its value chain. And today, we are introducing the Climate Science Information Center. pic.twitter.com/7VfoxW0COV

- Facebook app (@facebookapp) September 15, 2020

Meanwhile in Indonesia, Gojek's ride-hailing service recently launched a new feature, namely GoGreener Carbon Offset in its application. Later, users can take advantage of this feature to calculate the carbon footprint of each activity which can then be converted into a tree planting medium.

"This technological innovation is a contribution to environmental issues that everyone should focus on," said Gojek Co-founder & Co-CEO Kevin Aluwi in his statement.

To ensure transparency, users can access a dashboard whose link can be found in the GoGreener Carbon Offset feature to monitor tree photos and growth, as well as other data such as tree diameter and height.

Tree planting is carried out by GoGreener Carbon Offset conservation partners, namely Protect the Forest, who together with the farmers will help the planting process, monitoring and reporting tree growth.

"This mutual cooperation effort is expected to facilitate the community to play an active role in preserving the environment and developing urban forests," said Kevin.