Matthew Henry Unsplash
AT&T and Verizon: Hang Up on Fossil Fuels
We shouldn't have to compromise the planet to stay connected and informed.
Urge AT&T & Verizon to reach 100% renewable energy by 2025!
AT&T and Verizon collectively use millions of megawatts of power for their networks and, until recently, that's largely come from fossil fuels.
Thanks to consumer pressure, since our campaign launched, we've seen significant movement in shifting the industry to clean energy!
AT&T has announced purchase agreements for 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy. A major step forward, but it still has not committed to 100 percent. Verizon has finally taken steps of progress by acquiring 130 megawatts of wind energy, but has a long way to go to reach its goal of 50 percent clean energy.
Telecom's Energy Impact
AT&T is a company with $163 billion in sales serving 150 million wireless subscribers in the US and Mexico. Verizon has annual revenues of $126 billion per year with about 146 million subscribers, and uses over 10 million MW of power per year.
According to the EPA’s Green House Gas Equivalency Calculator, the two companies’ combined electricity usage is enough to power 2.6 million homes. To address climate change, we need to be moving away from fossil fuels, and companies like AT&T and Verizon that state they are environmentally conscious should be leading the effort towards a fossil free future. We've seen major progress in the past two years but there's still a long way to go to clean up wireless.
Campaign Goals
AT&T and Verizon need to adopt a goal of 100% clean energy by 2025, along with overall carbon emission reduction goals and a timeline to get there.
Both companies need to rapidly increase their use of solar and wind, and decrease dirty energy, including coal and natural gas.
Both companies need to set clear climate emissions reductions goals that lead to a rapid decrease in emissions in the next decade.
Sign our Hang Up on Fossil Fuels petition and then take action on social media!
Assessing energy use and environmental impacts of the telecommunications industry
Transitioning to renewables is critical for the climate and communities, and we need to look deeply at how energy is produced, consumed—and who benefits.
The telecommunications industry has an environmental justice problem, emitting 16 million tons of CO2 every year, often in low-income communities of color.
Victory
When our Hang Up on Fossil Fuels campaign began in 2017, a small fraction of Verizon's massive network was powered by clean energy. But since then, there's been major progress thanks to the thousands of people across the US who have signed our…
Green Living
While forward-thinking tech companies like Apple, Facebook, and Google have committed to running on 100% renewables and are investing in facilities powered by renewable energy, AT&T and Verizon continue source the majority of their energy from dirty energy sources.
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Latest News
Here are some answers to common questions about this campaign. */
1. How does using my phone use energy? There are two main parts of a wireless network that use energy whenever your mobile device is connected: the transceivers that…
It’s officially been one year since Verizon issued a $1 billion green bond to, in part, help the company reach its goal of 50 percent clean energy by 2025. In 2019, its major competitors announced new clean energy projects, shifting their…
A lot can happen in a year…except at Verizon.
One year ago, the telecom giant quietly released its first major commitment to clean energy. After years of using a feeble amount of renewable power in its massive network, Verizon had finally…
November 12, 2021
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