Amazon's chief sustainability officer admitted at an Axios event that the company does not know all the ways it will eliminate carbon emissions by 2040. Kara Hurst said Amazon is still striving toward the target but declined to claim a complete roadmap. The admission is notable given Amazon's scale and its role as a corporate leader on climate.
Amazon has made some progress. Hurst noted the company has been one of the largest purchasers of clean energy for several years, with 42 gigawatts in its portfolio. Carbon intensity—emissions per dollar of revenue—rose last year compared with 2024, though it remained below 2022 levels. The company says it holds itself accountable to The Climate Pledge.
At the same time, Amazon's actions have undercut its leadership. An investigation earlier this year found plans for a 7.65-gigawatt natural gas plant to power an AI data center campus. The 35 turbines could release up to 33 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, which would make it the largest single source of that pollution in the U.S. Hurst argued that tackling climate change requires companies and governments working together, and that Amazon cannot do it alone.