Microsoft Signs 10-Year Carbon Removal Deal

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20 July 2022

In one of the largest Direct Air Capture deals ever signed, Microsoft has embarked on a ten-year agreement with Climeworks to remove all of its historic CO₂ emissions by 2050.

Climeworks will become Microsoft’s first long-term carbon removal supplier, and the Direct Air Capture (DAC) company will permanently remove 10,000 tons of CO₂ emissions from the atmosphere on Microsoft’s behalf.

The IPCC estimates that by mid-century, we will need to remove 3-12 billion tons of CO₂ from the air every year in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C. DAC and storage is expected to contribute a significant part, with a potential of removing up to 310 billion tons of CO₂ by 2100.

Upcycling Captured CO₂

Climeworks’ machines consist of modular CO₂ collectors, which selectively capture carbon dioxide in a two-step process. The captured carbon dioxide can either be upcycled into climate-friendly products such as carbon-neutral fuels and materials, or completely removed from the air by safely storing it.

“Microsoft’s multi-year offtake agreement with Climeworks is an important step towards realizing the ‘net’ in net-zero,” said Microsoft Chief Environmental Officer Lucas Joppa.

“Our experience in purchasing renewable energy shows that long-term agreements can provide an essential foundation for society's race to scale new decarbonization technologies. Paired with Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund investment in Climeworks’ direct air capture plant, this agreement with Climeworks can help kickstart the commercial and technical progress in a nascent but crucial industry to achieve IPCC targets.”

Picture: a photograph of the Climeworks Orca plant in Iceland with founders C.Gebald and J.Wurzbacher.  Image Credit: Climeworks

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 20 July 2022

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