The social media giant has also launched a ‘Climate Science Information Centre’ for some users alongside ambitions carbon reduction plans.
Facebook joins many larger tech firms in promising to heavily reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decade.
It has said it will be purchasing renewable energy and offsets to counterbalance its current carbon footprint, with a future focus on investing in renewable energy projects and initiatives. In addition, it is aiming to have net zero emissions by 2030 for its supply chains, employee commuting, and business travel sectors.
Facebook is trying to go green, basically, and will finally be tackling its climate misinformation problem. The site has faced criticism from scientists and environmentalists over the past year for ignoring the spread of bogus climate news and articles.
Zuckerberg has historically been hesitant to crack down on fake news, but the site has now launched a ‘Climate Science Information Centre’ for the UK, US, Germany, and France. Information from the United Nations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is available to view through this centre, and it appears at the top of the news feed – next time your nan starts sending you dubious articles on the climate try sending her a link.
A large number of the biggest tech companies have made similar pledges in recent years. Netflix has invested in renewable energy, Apple has net zero goals for 2030, and Google just announced it’ll run on entirely carbon-free energy within ten years. Microsoft has also been dabbling with underwater servers to help reduce the energy required to keep them cool.
To Zuckerberg’s credit, Facebook has been lowering its carbon emissions annually since 2017 and has a smaller overall carbon footprint than Google. That’s not saying a whole lot, mind, given that Google produces an eye-watering 4.4 million metric tons of greenhouse gases a year on average, though it does have plans to change that over the coming years.
We don’t as of yet know the specifics of how Facebook will be reaching its new targets, or which green energy companies it’ll be investing in. All we do know is the time for action has never been more urgent. The US is experiencing its worst fire season ever and a new report last month stated that 28 trillion tonnes of ice have been lost from the surface of Earth since 1994. It’s obvious all companies have to act now, rather than tomorrow.
It’s a small step but this is certainly a start, and the less boomer articles we see floating about our news feeds the better.
I’m Charlie (He/Him), a Senior Remote Writer at Thred. I was previously the Editor at Thred before moving to Bristol in 2024. As a music and gaming enthusiast, I’m a nerd for pop culture. You can find me curating playlists, designing article headline images, and sipping cider on a Thursday. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has launched a stand-alone AI app that was previously only accessible across Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook called ‘Meta AI.’ It is aimed at rivalling ChatGPT and other similar products.
Meta continues to push forward with its plans to utilise AI and compete with industry leaders such as ChatGPT and Midjourney.
Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, has launched a standalone AI app that provides users with assistance...
Despite an uncertain market, Spotify has managed to survive the storm of tariffs and reluctant consumer spending. It continued to gain subscribers during the first quarter of the year.
Well, one thing is for certain. Spotify isn’t going anywhere.
The company just published its financial report for the first quarter of this year. Monthly active users grew 10% to 678 million, which is in line with its prior estimates. Paying,...
In a new statement, Duolingo CEO and co-founder Luis von Ahn has said that the company will ‘gradually stop using contractors to do work that AI can handle.’
One of the world’s biggest language learning apps is looking to shake up how its business fundamentally operates, with a greater emphasis on AI.
Duolingo is an extremely popular service that sends daily alerts to users to practice and revise their knowledge...
The search giant Google is reportedly introducing a new hybrid work model. Employees will be asked to be in the office at least three days a week, with potential consequences for those unable to do so.
It seems another major corporation is keen to get workers back into the office.
According to reports, Google is enforcing a new three-day working week hybrid model. Employees will be expected to come into...
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
1 Comment
