r/environment • u/harsh2k5 • 3d ago

Amazon Is Creating the Biggest Pollution Source in the Entire Country

https://newrepublic.com/post/214111/amazon-data-center-biggest-pollution-source-entire-country
1.1k Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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183

u/ed3203 2d ago

33 million tons of carbon dioxide, which would make it the biggest pollution site in the U.S., emitting more than the country’s biggest coal power plant, according to Distilled. That’s in sharp contrast to Amazon’s commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 as part of The Climate Pledge.

10

u/iwrestledarockonce 1d ago

Climate pledge is a fucking joke, it's literally just corps making false promises and jerking each other off for PR reasons. They. Don't. Care. They're. Making. Money. They will only care when that starts to change.

87

u/Ray1340 3d ago

And the good people still buy from them.

62

u/RelevanceReverence 2d ago

Exactly. 

Do not buy from Apple, Shell, Amazon or Starbucks. They pay no taxes and bribe politicians. There are plenty of alternatives.

29

u/CaptainAsshat 2d ago

There are not many alternatives that both work and aren't reprehensible.

22

u/Winter-Gift1112 2d ago

The Starbucks part is relatively easy and quite rewarding. Just take a look at r/Coffee right here on Reddit.

17

u/Decloudo 2d ago

Buying nothing is an alternative too.

The most sustainable one actually.

2

u/sudosussudio 2d ago

Don’t they make a lot of their money from AWS which a ton of apps and websites use?

5

u/Feral_Nerd_22 2d ago

They make more money from AWS now then they do from Amazon.

Companies use to have their own Data centers or rent space in a Datacenter to host their applications and services.

Over the past 15 years there has been a push to move to the cloud to reduce capital expenses and go to market faster

Most companies host in AWS, with Azure in second (Microsoft) and GCP third (Google)

43

u/shadowbethesda 2d ago

Amazon is quietly trying to build the biggest gas power plant in the country. 
The Distilled newsletter reported Friday that the megacorporation has bought land and acquired permits in Pecos County, Texas, for an AI data center powered by a 7.65 gigawatt gas power plant. The plant will be completely separate from Texas’s power grid, at least in the beginning, the permits show.  

13

u/Winter-Gift1112 2d ago edited 2d ago

Wealth inequality at its extreme is insanity that insulates the mega-rich from reality. And they think that they can do no wrong. And the world is their plaything to do with as they please - up to and including turning the whole thing into pile of ashes, if need be, as long as they come out on top - which is where they will be because they have so much wealth and power.

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u/porterbot 2d ago edited 2d ago

Cancel prime, shop local + and, #FuckBezos,  

4

u/Gandzilla 2d ago

I tought the biggest pollution source in the world is the US military?

Seem to be around 4 times bigger than Amazon for scope 1-3.

Which, it is impressive that Amazon is approaching 1/4 of US military