The ‘How’s, Why’s and Implications’ of Carbon Pricing

| Josh Henretig

By now, it is likely common knowledge that driving accountability for carbon emissions is an important part of Microsoft’s commitment to carbon neutrality (or visit past blog posts for a refresher on our carbon fee program, including our Carbon Fee Playbook). Fortunately for our planet, carbon accountability is getting more attention both in the media and with companies and individuals who are able to help make a difference, and we are excited to play a part in increasing awareness around this issue. Recently, the Climate Disclosure Project (CDP) released a whitepaper featuring Rob Bernard and other thought leaders that focused on how corporations use carbon prices.

As you may remember, last December I wrote about a report released by CDP that outlined 29 companies that have voluntarily incorporated an internal carbon price as a strategic planning tool. That report, found here, led to several questions, such as why companies are using a carbon price, how the prices are calculated and how they function, whether or not carbon prices drive strategy and investment, and what the implications are for investors, companies and policymakers for the use of these prices.

In the new whitepaper, entitled, “Corporate Use of Carbon Prices: Commentary from Corporations, Investors and Thought Leaders,” those and other questions are answered by senior leaders at major companies, including Microsoft’s own Rob Bernard. Rob notes that, “By applying a financial cost to the carbon impact of our operations, it provides justification to prioritize efficiency – and therefore cost reductions – across the organization.” We are excited about the results we’ve seen so far through our carbon fee program and look forward to demonstrating even more ways that the fee and the investments they are enabling can reduce our environmental footprint while helping others around the world.

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