Facebook has said that it has met goals of reaching net-zero emissions and 100 percent renewable energy for its global operations.
Releasing its ‘2020 Sustainability Report’ on Tuesday, Facebook said that it has also reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 94 percent from 2017 levels, exceeding its goal of a 75 percent reduction.
“In 2020, we set a new goal: reaching net zero emission for our value chain in 2030,” the social network said in a statement on Monday.
Its renewable energy portfolio totaled over 5.9 gigawatts (GW) of wind and solar projects under contract. Facebook increased its wind and solar operating portfolio to over 2.8 GW, spanning 15 US states, Europe and Asia.
“Facebook restored nearly 5.8 million cubic meters of water in high water stress regions. We launched the Climate Science Information Center, a dedicated hub for authoritative information from the world’s leading climate science sources,” the company said.
Facebook said it has also invested in high-quality carbon removal projects that removed 145,000 metric tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere, including reforestation projects in East Africa and the Mississippi River Valley.
“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face. Delivering essential technologies and reliable climate information to billions of people is at the heart of how Facebook can help address the crisis. And we believe we can do it with a net zero carbon footprint,” said Mike Schroepfer, Chief Technology Officer.
