What are enabled emissions

TL;DR

Explanation

Everyone focuses on applying technology to reduce carbon emissions which is one of the many things we need to do to reduce carbon emissions, but like the trend to only focus on new, additive things while ignoring the conversation of reducing existing emissions we need to talk about Big Tech enabling the fossil fuel industry to continue to expand with increased productivity.

We need to talk about when tech companies will stop supplying the fossil fuel industry. Activists have targeted companies like Autodesk, Microsoft and Amazon arguing that their supply of technology enables the operational efficiencies that increase the profitability and longevity of the fossil fuel industry.

This topic is pretty niche but of increasing concern. Executives argue that they can’t just exclude these customers, and we’d be better off with the fossil fuel industry working together with us to solve the problem. Except Big Oil knew about this in the 1970s, and has delayed action ever since while pretending to be part of the solution. At some point they need to be cut off.

The real reason for the lack of change here is most CEOs don’t have the authority to declare they won’t do business with an entire sector. They also fear the industry just goes to their competitors - the old drug dealer’s defence of “If they didn’t buy off me they’d get it elsewhere”. CEOs are there to grow companies and most corporate boards would sack a CEO who unilaterally declared they wouldn’t deal with a sector as large and profitable as the fossil fuel industry. This is more reason why pressure has to come from shareholders - the owners of the company. They need to signal to the board what policies are important.

Further reading

One of tech’s cleanest companies is making tools for coal mines and oil drills

Microsoft’s ambitious climate goal forgets about its oil contracts