AWS launches carbon footprint tool to combat climate change
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched the AWS customer carbon footprint tool to help businesses calculate their carbon emissions and predict future changes.
The new tool is a dashboard that allows users of AWS Cloud and its services to conduct this calculation by factoring in the percentage of AWS's energy usage that comes from renewable sources.
The company says its current energy usage figure is on track to be completely renewable by 2025, five years ahead of the previous target date of 2030.
The calculations will change as AWS's various green energy projects come online.
Citing the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, AWS says there is an urgency to take more immediate and ambitious action on climate change and its associated risks.
"Addressing the global crisis of climate change will take a combination of big, bold commitments and everyday actions," AWS head of Energy Policy Asia-Pacific and Japan Ken Haig says.
"At AWS, we are committed to building a sustainable business for our customers and the planet, and we know most of our customers across Australia and New Zealand share this commitment.
"We are pleased to announce the launch of the AWS customer carbon footprint tool, providing AWS customers with an estimate of their carbon emissions from their use of all AWS products as well as the emissions reductions realised by moving to AWS.
"This tool will help our customers report, track and evaluate their carbon emissions to monitor progress toward their future carbon reduction goals.
"We worked closely with local customers in Australia and New Zealand and across the world to develop and test the AWS customer carbon footprint tool.
"What's more, it's encouraging to see The Climate Pledge now has over 200 pledge signatories, including companies like Canva and Xero, who have committed to [being] net-zero carbon across their business by 2040, 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
"We continue to invite more companies to join The Climate Pledge and work together towards a low carbon future."
AWS says the company's Carbon Footprint Tool announcement is part of its commitment to supporting its customers in addressing climate change.
The company is also continuing to support the Climate Pledge, which Amazon co-founded in 2019, as well as sourcing and supporting renewable energy projects in the communities in which it operates.
"We've been collaborating with AWS on their carbon footprint tool, which will provide our business with an estimate of our carbon emissions from our use of AWS products, as well as the emissions reductions realised by moving to AWS," Canva co-founder and chief product officer Cameron Adams says.
"This tool will help Canva report, track and evaluate our carbon emissions to monitor progress toward our future carbon reduction goals."
