Protesters confront Microsoft CSO over carbon targets and AI, disrupting climate week event

Microsoft Chief Sustainability Officer Melanie Nakagawa faced a barrage of direct questions from the audience Friday during the annual Pacific Northwest Climate Week session in Seattle.

Protesters challenged Nakagawa for much of the 30-minute session held in a conference room at Seattle’s City Hall, calling out the company’s use of fossil fuels to power its AI data centers and challenging Microsoft’s commitment to climate goals set years ago.

As a reporter covering sustainability issues for GeekWire, I failed the session. Many of the issues raised by the crowd were on my list of questions for Nakagawa. The disruption also included chants from protesters sitting among the attendees, sometimes going beyond climate issues to criticize Microsoft’s technology deals with Israel.

The security guards eventually removed some of the protesters from the space, while others remained. Interruptions from the audience continued for all but the last 10 minutes of the session.

The event capped off Pacific Northwest Climate Week, which included discussions across the city and region about climate change solutions, policies and innovation.

Microsoft has for many years been considered a leader in environmental business, setting an ambitious goal in 2020 to become carbon negative within ten years. It created an internal carbon tax – one of the largest in the world – that charges Microsoft categories of carbon emissions from sources such as aviation to fund climate-friendly efforts. The company is credited with helping to create and sustain the carbon dioxide removal industry, among other roles.

But the rapid expansion of AI data centers and their massive power requirements is undermining Microsoft’s standing. The company recently released its annual sustainability report, revealing that its carbon footprint grew by 25% last year, moving it closer to its 2030 target.

The protester’s question was about a deal announced earlier this year in which Microsoft partnered with Chevron to build a 2.7 gigawatt natural gas facility to power a data center campus in Texas. I asked Nakagawa how the company is securing the deal, and he pointed to the 4.7 gigawatts of renewable energy that Microsoft has backed for the government. I followed up by asking about the Redmond, Wash.-based company’s commitment. on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects given recent reports on the establishment of new agreements.

Nakagawa couldn’t answer before the crowd drowned him out with shouts and replies: “Microsoft, you can’t hide. We can see your dirty side.”

Another protester criticized the growing pursuit of AI. “He is selling us a product that we don’t need at all, and we should never ask for it,” he said. “No one wants AI. You are destroying the climate with AI.”

I introduced proposed legislation earlier this year in Washington to mandate clean energy and bring transparency to data center impacts in the state. Microsoft opposed and helped defeat the bill, although the company says it wants to work with lawmakers to pass legislation next year. I asked what needs to be changed in the law for Microsoft to support it.

Nakagawa did not provide specifics, but noted that this year, for the first time, the company shared facility-level information in its annual report on electricity and water consumption in data centers worldwide.

“People want to know more about data, and we believe you can have an honest and open conversation and access that information and data,” he said.

Given the public’s obvious concern, I asked Nakagawa, “Do you honestly believe that by 2030, the company can achieve that carbon-negative goal?”

Nakagawa pointed to a variety of initiatives that are starting to help curb some emissions, including investments to make Xbox devices less carbon-intensive and financial support for the recent opening of a manufacturing plant in Moses Lake, Wash., for sustainable jet fuel company Twelve.

“There are a few areas where we are seeing promising progress,” he said. “Look, this will be difficult. We didn’t avoid it at all that this is a difficult goal.”