Amazon's 2025 sustainability report shows a 34 percent jump in electricity use and a 16 percent rise in greenhouse gas emissions, driven by its AI data center buildout. The company, which pledged net-zero by 2040, saw indirect supply chain emissions rise 10 percent year over year and 21 percent since 2019. Data centers also consumed nearly 2.5 billion gallons of water last year. The report buries the key data on page 46 of 51 and includes a pledge to spend $100 million on super pollutants, but does not specify Amazon's share. Critics see this as greenwashing while the company's actual carbon footprint hits a new record. The story highlights the tension between AI growth and corporate climate goals.
