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Green Power Partnership

GPP Webinar: Innovative Approaches to Climate Goals: Microsoft's Internal Carbon Fee

Tuesday, April 2, 2013
1:00-2:00 p.m. (EDT)
EPA's Green Power Partnership (GPP)

On Tuesday, April 2, 2013, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (EDT), EPA's GPP hosted a webinar titled "Innovative Approaches to Climate Goals: Microsoft's Internal Carbon Fee." As companies and organizations strive to meet carbon reduction goals and climate commitments, many are undertaking innovative strategies to help meet these goals. A leading example of such innovation is Microsoft's adoption of an internal carbon fee. An EPA Green Power Partner, Microsoft recently instituted a companywide commitment to achieve carbon neutrality for its data centers, software development laboratories, offices, and employee air travel, and the carbon fee is a key component of this aggressive goal. By internalizing the cost of greenhouse gas pollution through financial measures, the carbon fee incentivizes employees to reduce emissions while raising funds for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and purchases.

Webinar participants also learned about:

  • The business case that convinced Microsoft's senior executives and CFO to adopt and support an internal carbon fee.
  • The logistics of the feehow is a carbon price determined, who pays, and where do the proceeds go?
  • How other organizations can adopt a similar strategy.

Speaker Presentations

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