Amazon's carbon emissions rise 16 percent in 2025 report

Amazon released its annual sustainability report this week, showing that the company's carbon emissions rose by 16% compared to the previous year. Total emissions reached around 80.9 million metric tons, which is more than the entire country of New Zealand produces each year.

The main reason for the increase was the rapid expansion of data centres used to power artificial intelligence technology. Electricity purchased from outside suppliers grew by 34%, pushing up the overall figures. Notably, Amazon's emissions per dollar of revenue went up for the first time since 2019.

Amazon has promised to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 and has invested in more than 400 clean energy projects across 23 countries. For the third year running, it matched its total electricity use with equivalent purchases of renewable energy.