What Happened to Google's Climate Ambitions? | Ep203: Kate Brandt

Google has one of the most ambitious climate targets in the tech
world, but what happens if it falls short of its goals? How does
the company balance innovation with environmental responsibility?
And can AI really help reduce emissions? 


This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Kate
Brandt, Google's Chief Sustainability Officer, to unpack these
critical questions. Brandt offers an insider's view of how one of
the world's most influential companies is tackling the climate
crisis, from tackling its own emissions to the impact of
misinformation on its platform. Brandt has a fascinating
background, having spent time in both the Pentagon, and advising
President Obama on energy security and sustainability issues. In
her current role, she oversees the team working to reduce
Google's environmental impact. 


Google has set itself an ambitious company-wide climate goal of
halving their 2019 emissions by 2030 but their latest
sustainability report showed that they were off track, as the
company has grown and increased their investment in energy-hungry
artificial intelligence. As providers of curated information at a
global scale, Google has a unique intersection with the climate
problem. Primarily, their impact comes from the electricity they
buy, but they're also able to guide customers' decisions through
the provision of information and through their parent company
Alphabet. 


They've made some pretty bold investments in innovative,
disruptive companies, so measuring their impact is arguably more
than the sum of their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Nevertheless,
missing a clear target can't be very comfortable. Brandt
discusses the company’s ambitious yet challenging emissions
reduction targets, the transformative potential of AI in
environmental solutions, and the innovative clean technologies
that might just help us reimagine our energy future. 


From predicting floods and reducing aircraft emissions, to molten
salt batteries and grid optimization technologies, this
conversation reveals how Google thinks about innovation and the
climate.


Leadership Circle:


Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its
founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, Davidson Kempner,
EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini
Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature
Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on
the Leadership Circle, please visit
https://www.cleaningup.live. 


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