Matthew Henry Unsplash
Push Comms Companies to Clean Energy and Equity
We shouldn’t have to compromise people and planet to stay connected
The communication industry uses millions of megawatts of power for their servers and networks and that's largely coming from fossil fuels. Energy demand will increase with the ongoing adoption of 5G and AI technologies.
- The ten largest communications companies collectively use at least 51 million MWh of energy annually, equivalent to powering 4.3 million homes, which is more households than found in each of 43 US states.
- Most of these companies are sourcing less than 10% of their energy from renewable sources, with several companies reporting 0% renewables.
- Energy justice, ensuring the communities who are most harmed by fossil fuels are benefited by renewable energy, is poorly addressed by the majority of companies in the communications industry.
- Companies need to ensure that the mining of critical minerals that power the renewable energy transition avoids violating human rights and environmental justice. We need renewable energy, but companies also need to use their market power to incentivize a responsible supply chain.
Read more about company practices and steps companies can take in our latest report.
Thank you to Carla Itzkowich for supporting this work.
Campaign Updates (June 2024)
Our Hang up on fossil fuels campaign originally targeted AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
Thanks to consumer pressure, since our campaign launched, we've seen significant movement in shifting the telecoms industry to clean energy!
- T-Mobile continues is the leader in the industry in the use of renewable energy, reporting 100% renewable energy usage.
- AT&T and Verizon are entering into significant contracts for renewable energy. And Verizon now has a goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030.
Campaign Goals
Communications companies must set a goal for 100% renewable energy that puts new wind or solar power on the grid by 2030 and enter into contracts to meet this goal
Communications companies must set a net zero goal for emissions in line with the Science Based Targets Initiative by 2035.
Communications companies must ensure that the mining of critical minerals that power the renewable energy transition supports environmental justice and avoids violating human rights
Communications companies must transparently disclose their energy justice goals and benchmarks to achieve those goals. They must also disclose their sourcing policies, and how they monitor and ensure compliance with those policies.
