Microsoft’s New Carbon Penalties for Corporate Travel Stir Debate

Microsoft's announcement this week that it was increasing the carbon emissions penalty it charges itself by nearly 600 percent was broadly welcomed. It’s long been in the sights of campaigners, including one called #justuseteams. The technology company has pledged to invest the money in green projects, like buying more sustainable aviation fuel. But the bigger problem no longer seems to be about how to cut carbon emissions, but rather how that gets counted. In Microsoft’s sustainability commitments blog update, called Building a foundation for 2030, it outlines it is redoubling its efforts on measurement, to help accelerate the maturation and adoption of industry standards for carbon accounting. “The need for a more holistic focus on measurement goes beyond Microsoft. It was the impetus for the Carbon Call, a new initiative we announced with ClimateWorks Foundation and 20+ other leading organizations. Together we will focus on solving companies’ carbon emissions and removal