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Amazon strayed further from its climate pledge in 2021

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Since Seattle-based Amazon pledged to cut its carbon output in 2018, the company has strayed further from its climate pledge. Amazon's companywide emissions increased by 18% in 2021 alone, according to its own sustainability report.

Amazon says it plans to meet its climate pledge — to become carbon neutral — by 2040. To do so it'll have to change course, and find a way to rein in the millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide that it's creating each year.

The company's newest report shows its pollution got worse across the board, except when it comes to refrigerants and electricity the company buys.

Amazon says a pandemic-era surge in buying from the public contributed to its much larger carbon emissions — largely around transportation, manufacturing its house brands, and running servers.

The company is leading 300 other organizations on what it calls the Climate Pledge.

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