Google’s greenhouse gas emissions were 48 percent higher in 2013 than in 2019, an increase exacerbated by the company's growing focus on AI.  

In its 2024 environmental report (pdf), Google said its greenhouse gas emissions totaled 14.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent throughout 2023 - 48 percent higher than in 2019 and 13 percent higher than in 2022. 

Google aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030, but the company says its emissions increase shows "the challenge of reducing emissions" while trying to build large language models and services powered by them - such as its Gemini chatbot.

Artificial intelligence technologies are known to be particularly energy-intensive, with generative AI systems like ChatGPT using approximately 33 times more energy than task-specific software.

Commentators pointed out that if Google continues to progress as it has been, it could very well double its greenhouse gas emissions rather than reach net zero by 2030.