5 years into Amazon’s Climate Pledge, workers challenge its progress

Trailers are parked at an Amazon fulfillment center

Trailers are parked at an Amazon fulfillment center in Kent, Washington, on Oct. 6, 2023.Daniel Kim/The Seattle Times/TNS

Five years after Amazon committed to an ambitious climate goal, the company says it is making progress on reducing emissions — but critics allege those calculations are misleading.

In its annual sustainability report, released last week, Amazon said carbon emissions dropped 3% last year, largely due to its sizable investment in renewable energy. That’s the most significant decrease the Seattle-based company has seen since it launched its Climate Pledge in 2019, setting a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

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