Google revealed today that it contracted for more than $100 million in carbon removal credits in 2024, highlighting investments in a broad range of technologies, including restoration of natural carbon sinks, enhanced rock weathering (ERW), biomass capture and biochar, and direct air capture (DAC).
Google’s investments amount to roughly three times the commitment made by the company in March 2024, to contract for at least $35 million of carbon removal credits over the next 12 months, as part of an initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) aimed at helping to scale the carbon removal sector by funding the sector’s innovations and technology.
Google’s sustainability goals include 2030 targets to reach net zero emissions across its operations and value chain, and to reduce 50% of its combined Scope 1, 2, and 3 absolute emissions, on a 2019 basis. The company’s strategy to address residual emissions include advancing the development and deployment of nature-based and technology-based carbon removal solutions.
In a blog post highlighting the company’s carbon removal activities, Randy Spock, Carbon Credits and Removals Lead at Google, said:
“As we work toward our net zero goal, we aim to accelerate solutions that maximize our impact for the planet. That’s why in 2024, we contracted for more than $100 million in carbon removal credits — roughly 3 times more than what we pledged last year — to catalyze carbon removal solutions that both Google and the world need.”
To date, Google’s purchases amount to nearly 800,000 tons of carbon removals. By technology, biomass carbon removal and storage make up the greatest share, with agreements with biomass capture projects by CO280, and biochar projects by Varaha and Charm accounting for more than 344,000 tons.
Google’s largest carbon removal deal, for over 200,000 tons was announced in December 2024 with enhanced rock weathering (ERW) startup Terradot, and the company also announced a 100,000 ton deal with DAC provider Holocene, in addition to agreements with river de-acidification-based company CarbonRun, and DAC provider 280 Earth. Agreements included independent deals, and purchases made through carbon removal buyer coalition Frontier.
In May 2024, Google, alongside Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce, also co-founded Symbiosis, an advance market commitment (AMC) collaboration aimed at supporting the development and growth of the nature-based carbon removal market, with a collective commitment to contract up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits.
Spock said:
“We’re encouraged by our progress, but the journey to catalyze carbon removal is just beginning. In the year ahead, we will continue to expand our support for carbon removal as part of our ongoing effort to find the solutions the world needs and maximize their impact on the planet. We’ll also remain open to other approaches that can help drive rapid, near-term action to mitigate climate change.”