Microsoft committed to remove all of the carbon generated in its history by 2050, and to invest $1 billion into a new climate fund to develop carbon reduction, capture and removal technologies.

In a blog, president Brad Smith outlined a set of goals to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, including a pledge to become carbon negative by 2030.

As part of its programme, Smith said Microsoft will shift to 100 per cent renewable energy in the next five years. The company also vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by more than half and switch its global operations vehicle fleet to electric by 2030.

By 2050, Smith explained, Microsoft plans to remove all the carbon emitted since its foundation in 1975, through negative emission technologies potentially including forestation, removing carbon from soil, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture.

From July, Microsoft will require its business divisions to pay an internal carbon fee for indirect emissions produced from its supply and value chains.

Over the next four years, the company’s Climate Innovation Fund will invest $1 billion into new technologies for reducing and removing carbon from the environment.

“We understand that this is just a fraction of the investment needed, but our hope is that it spurs more governments and companies to invest in new ways as well”, Smith commented.

He added the company will continue investing in carbon monitoring and modelling projects through its AI for Earth programme.

Smith described the company’s plan to reduce its carbon footprint as a “moonshot” for Microsoft. “And it will need to become a moonshot for the world”, he stated.