Amazon's Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst admitted the company does not yet know every step it will take to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. The statement came as Amazon continues to expand its clean energy portfolio to 42 gigawatts, but also reports that carbon intensity rose last year compared to 2024. The company's revenue grew 12% to $717 billion, roughly the size of Ireland's economy, making its climate footprint a global concern. The tension between Amazon's climate goals and its AI-driven growth is clear. Earlier this year, plans emerged for a 7.65-gigawatt natural gas power plant to serve a data center campus, which could emit up to 33 million tons of CO2 annually. That single facility would be the largest source of power sector emissions in the United States. The article highlights how even major clean energy buyers are turning to fossil fuels when grid demand from AI outstrips available renewable capacity.
