Amazon Says Its Planet-Warming Carbon Emissions Grew 18% in 2021

Amazon said its carbon footprint grew 18% in 2021, as the company's rapid growth during the pandemic overwhelmed nascent efforts to cut its contribution to the emissions warming the planet. From a report: The world's largest online retailer emitted 71.54 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide equivalent last year, Amazon disclosed on Monday in an updated edition of its sustainability report. That's up about 40% since the company first disclosed the figure, with data from 2019. Amazon's carbon intensity -- a measure that divides its emissions by gross merchandise sales -- fell 1.9%, an indication of the company's success in delivering products and running its warehouses, data centers and offices more efficiently. Amazon aims to become a "net zero" emitter of greenhouse gases by 2040.

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[b0s0z0ku]

Depends. Are the orders replacing goods that would be delivered by higher-carbon methods (driving to a brick & mortar store) or would the goods not have been bought at all without Amazon's growth?

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[Iamthecheese]

All human activity could be curtailed and it would bring human emissions to zero. Baby, bathwater.

Rural vs SuBURRPan vs Urban

[b0s0z0ku]

Delivery probably saves CO2 emissions in rural and 'burb areas, since you have one truck driving around replacing car trips. In urban areas like NYC, less so, since it's more efficient to deliver to central locations (stores) and have people walk/bike/transit there, at least for smaller items.

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[b0s0z0ku]

I will also add that ubiquitous, fast delivery + WFH (cower at home) makes living in rural/'burb areas more convenient. In general, rural and burb homes and larger and require more energy to heat/cool, trips are less likely to be made by walking, biking, or transit. So making less-dense areas more convenient may actually increase CO2 emissions.

To say nothing of the landfill fodder...

[AmazingRuss]

.... tons and tons and tons of plastic crap people don't really need.

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[b0s0z0ku]

On the other hand, I bought a cover for a sofa that was in perfectly good shape other than the cover on Amazon. The sofa isn't made anymore, so pre-Internet, I would have either had to have the cover custom-made or replaced the sofa. If not for the ability to find the cover online and order it, the sofa may have ended up in a landfill.

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[thegarbz]

The cover exists without Amazon's policies that promote landfilling. The seller could purchase it in any number of places. What we need are laws that require returned goods to be resold regardless of the cost of doing so.

Not only plastic

[Viol8]

The amount of cardboard they use to wrap even small items is obscene. Sure, its recycled and can be recycled again but it all uses energy. Why do they do it? Can't they have more than 3 sizes of box or would that cut into Bezo's pay cheque?

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[nightflameauto]

I'm particularly fond of the tech gadgets that get the shipping equivalent of an old style canister vacuum for a shipping box. No, I don't think a couple thumb drives needed to be shipped in a 3'x3'x4' box. WTF?

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[colonslash]

According to this [simplemost.com], the software that chooses box sizes picks sizes that fits with others to pack a truck, so sometimes it's to fill up space to keep other packages from sliding around.

Re: Not only plastic

[b0s0z0ku]

Couldn't they put smaller items in some sort of reusable bin or use some kind of reusable spacer in their trucks?

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[Viol8]

That would probably mean employing another human on slave wages. Can't have that, there's a bottom line at stake! If a robot can't do it then its not happening.

Re: Not only plastic

[b0s0z0ku]

Why can't a robot handle filler boxes or throw smaller boxes into a bigger one?

Re:Not only plastic

[thegarbz]

Please don't get upset over irrelevant things. Amazon's emissions come from its logistics and tech divisions. Amazon's waste comes from it's practice of landfilling returned goods.

The cardboard is the least of the problems here.

We know we have a problem, lets talk solutions.

[MacMann]

While it is interesting to see stories about the problem of global warming I believe it would be more interesting to see solutions.

There's interesting stories every day about developments on lowering CO2 emissions. It would be nice to see more of them on Slashdot. Such stories don't have to replace the stories about rising CO2 emissions, but seeing them would mean fewer people getting depressed over our future.

I've seen so much good news about solutions to CO2 emissions that I'm quite convinced we won't s