Share on email It's looking increasingly uncertain that major Seattle-area corporations will be able to meet the ambitious emissions-reduction pledges they've made.to limit global warming's worst impacts will require big changes from major corporations, many of which emit as much greenhouse gas as small countries.None of these companies have significantly reduced their emissions since making those pledges in recent years, according to their own reports.
Starbucks spokesperson Betsy McManus says the company isn't expecting big emissions reductions just yet, as it's still working to "identify, test and scale solutions across our global operations."Aseem Prakash, director of the University of Washington's Center for Environmental Politics, says Amazon has done a decent job ofsupply chain emissions, he argues, as well as those from consumers using the products it sells, which are its biggest sources of emissions.
Amazon is "basking in the warm glow of corporate environmentalism," he says, without investing the resources necessary to make hard changes. Amazon spokesperson Elizabeth Fine says the company accounts for more of its emissions than many other businesses, adding "we're proud of the progress we've made so far."it made to make 50% of its deliveries carbon neutral by 2030, and was removed from a U.N.-backed watchdog's list of climate-conscious companies.past this point where we can just wait for new technology to magically appear," Skribbe tells Axios. "We need immediate climate action right now.
Brandon Middaugh, senior director of Microsoft's Climate Innovation Fund, said company officials "are laser-focused on meeting our ambitious objectives," which is why the company is investing $1 billion to accelerate new technologies.has reintroduced a plan to make all of its cups recyclable, reusable or compostable, with 2030 as its new target.Whether these companies step up their efforts as consumers pressure big corporations to make tough-but-necessary changes.