AT&T has committed to be carbon neutral across our entire global operations by 2035. We’re addressing climate change because it impacts our operations, our people and the communities where we live and work.
"Our network is tested by climate change and natural disasters every year. We recognize the long-term impact this commitment can have, and we owe it to the millions of customers who rely on our services to create the most resilient and sustainable business we can."
John Stankey, CEO of AT&T Inc.
We will achieve net zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions – the equivalent of 1.1 million homes’ annual electricity [i] – by focusing on key initiatives:
By entering into power purchase agreements with renewable energy developers, we reduce our emissions footprint, hedge against rising energy costs and help to add more clean electricity to the U.S. power grid. To date, we’ve purchased more than 1.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity.
We will continue to bring down emissions from our operational fleet by optimizing routes, switching to hybrid and electric vehicles and reducing the overall size of the fleet. We’re also planning for the decarbonization of our fleet.
Each year, we implement thousands of energy efficiency projects across our network and operations, bringing down electricity use, emissions and reducing costs. Learn more in our Energy Management issue brief.
[i] EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator. https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
The Science Based Targets initiative – a joint effort of CDP, The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the United Nations Global Compact and the World Resources Institute – has validated that our current commitments to reduce emissions are in line with what is needed by AT&T to do our part in holding global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius – a key threshold for helping to avoid the worst effects of climate change. We have also set a science-based target that 50% of our suppliers (covering purchased goods and services, capital goods and downstream leased assets as a portion of spend) set their own science-based Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reduction targets by 2024.
Going big on renewable energy also means doing good in communities. AT&T-backed renewable energy projects are creating hundreds of construction jobs and dozens of permanent jobs in fast-growing clean energy careers.
That’s why we’re investing in the people who bring clean power to the grid – providing scholarships and support for students seeking careers as wind turbine technicians and solar panel installers.
AT&T’s renewable energy scholarships have so far supported over 30 students seeking wind tech careers and are continuing to expand to others looking to enter this career path.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that wind techs will be one of the fastest growing occupations from 2019 to 2029, with higher earnings than the 2019 median annual wage for all occupations. Read the story of an aspiring technician, Jennifer.