In November 2017, Google bought 536 megawatts of wind power. The purchase made the firm reach 100% renewable energy. The wind energy comes from two power plants in South Dakota, one in Iowa and one in Oklahoma.[326] In September 2019, Google's chief executive announced plans for a $2 billion wind and solar investment, the biggest renewable energy deal in corporate history. This will grow their green energy profile by 40%, giving them an extra 1.6 gigawatt of clean energy, the company said.[327]
In September 2020, Google announced it had retroactively offset all of its carbon emissions since the company's foundation in 1998.[328] It also stated that it is committed to operating its data centers and offices using only carbon-free energy by 2030.[329] In October 2020, the company pledged to make the packaging for its hardware products 100% plastic-free and 100% recyclable by 2025. It also said that all its final assembly manufacturing sites will achieve a UL 2799 Zero Waste to Landfill certification by 2022 by ensuring that the vast majority of waste from the manufacturing process is recycled instead of ending up in a landfill.[330]
In 2023 Google consumed 24 TWh of electricity, more than countries such as Iceland, Ghana, the Dominican Republic, or Tunisia.[331]
Climate change denial and misinformation
Google donates to climate change denial political groups including the State Policy Network and the Competitive Enterprise Institute.[332][333] The company also actively funds and profits from climate disinformation by monetizing ad spaces on most of the largest climate disinformation sites.[334] Google continued to monetize and profit from sites propagating climate disinformation even after the company updated their policy to prohibit placing their ads on similar sites.[335]