Allegations Unveiled: Google's Emissions Data Under Scrutiny for Being Deceptive Greenwashing Evidence
In a recent report titled "Google's Eco-Failures," the Kairos Fellowship has presented a critical view of Google's climate impact and progress towards its net-zero emissions goal. The report reveals that Google's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have increased dramatically, with a 1,515% rise between 2010 and 2024. This surge resulted in an additional 21.9 million metric tons of carbon being emitted in 2024 compared to 2010 levels.
The report highlights that Scope 2 emissions, related to purchased electricity, surged by 820% over this period. Scope 3 emissions, from supply chains and product use, remain high with low transparency. In contrast, Scope 1 emissions, direct emissions from Google’s own operations, showed a slight decline, constituting just 0.31% of total emissions.
Despite these alarming figures, Google's own 2025 Environmental Report notes some progress. The company claims a 12% reduction in energy emissions from its data centers in 2024, achieved even as electricity demand surged by 27% to support AI workloads. Google has also added 2.5 gigawatts of new clean energy capacity to power its operations and signed new clean energy procurement deals totaling 8 gigawatts in 2024.
However, the Kairos report and independent research dispute Google's positive narrative. They argue that the company’s accounting is unclear, and the overall emissions trajectory is increasing rather than decreasing. The increasing energy demands driven by AI development complicate Google's ability to meet net-zero goals.
The report also points out changes in Google's methodology regarding Scope 3 emissions, which obscure year-over-year comparisons. Since 2017, Google has matched 100% of its global electricity use with renewable energy. However, the report asserts that Google's public claims of sustainability don't match its actual emissions.
Another concern raised is Google's water usage. The company's water withdrawals rose by 340% from 2016 to 2024, reaching 11 billion gallons in 2024 alone. Much of this water is used to cool data centers, raising alarms about its environmental impact in drought-prone areas.
In response to these concerns, Google has signed a 200MW offtake agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for fusion energy, a potential game-changer in renewable energy production. The company is also reportedly making strides in hardware and operational efficiency, having claimed a sixfold increase in computing power per unit of electricity since 2019.
However, the Kairos report and other independent research suggest that Google still has a long way to go to meet its net-zero ambitions by 2030. An open letter in major U.S. newspapers has urged the CEOs of Google, Amazon, and Microsoft to turn down fossil fuel projects and faster coal plant closures, adding to the pressure on these tech giants to address their climate impact.
- The Kairos Fellowship's report, "Google's Eco-Failures," criticizes Google's climate impact and progress towards its net-zero emissions goal, stating that Scope 3 emissions from supply chains and product use remain high with low transparency.
- Despite Google's claim of a 12% reduction in energy emissions from its data centers in 2024, independent research disputes Google's positive narrative, arguing that the overall emissions trajectory is increasing rather than decreasing.
- Another concern raised in the report is Google's water usage, which rose by 340% from 2016 to 2024, reaching 11 billion gallons in 2024 alone, primarily for cooling data centers.
- To address these concerns, Google has signed a 200MW offtake agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems for fusion energy, a potential game-changer in renewable energy production, and is reportedly making strides in hardware and operational efficiency. However, these efforts may not be sufficient to meet Google's net-zero ambitions by 2030, as noted in an open letter to the CEOs of Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, urging them to turn down fossil fuel projects and faster coal plant closures.
