Microsoft spends billions on nascent carbon dioxide removal

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illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on POLITICO or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Microsoft is investing billions of dollars in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects, including a major agreement to store millions of tons of CO₂ underground, in an effort to meet its carbon-negative by 2030 goal and stimulate the emerging CDR industry

🔭 The context: A key 2025 deal with startup Vaulted Deep will capture and permanently store 4.9 million tons of CO₂, preventing it from entering the atmosphere
• Experts estimate the contract could be worth around $1 billion, making it one of the largest commitments yet in the carbon-removal sector

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Carbon dioxide removal is increasingly viewed as essential for meeting global climate targets, especially for offsetting hard-to-eliminate emissions
• By committing large early purchases of removal credits, Microsoft is helping create demand and scale the industry, which many scientists say will be needed alongside emissions reductions

⏭️ What’s next: Microsoft plans to continue large-scale purchases of CDR credits over the coming decade, encouraging investment in technologies such as direct air capture, biomass storage, and geological sequestration
• The success of these projects could shape how corporations contribute to future climate mitigation.

💬 One quote: “Revolutionary.” — Julia Reichelstein describing the impact of Microsoft’s contract on her company

📈 One stat: The Microsoft-Vaulted Deep agreement will remove 4.9 million tons of CO₂, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of over one million gasoline cars

See on illuminem's Data Hub™ the sustainability performance — carbon credit purchases, total emissions, and climate targets of thousands of companies

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