Microsoft’s carbon removal plans aren’t dead after all
Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today.
As carbon removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, tworeports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals.
For the carbon removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive.
Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times...
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