Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Alphabet Inc. (referred to hereafter as Google) engages with climate change policy globally with highly positive positions. The company advocates actively in both the US and EU, with much of its engagement centered on decarbonizing electricity systems. In contrast with its positive direct engagement, Google is a member of several industry associations that are negatively engaged on climate policy, such as BusinessEurope, the US Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Google’s top-line messaging on climate change demonstrates clear alignment with IPCC recommendations and the goals of the Paris Agreement. In its 2024 Environmental Report, released July 2024, Google stated strong support for the EU’s 2040 climate targets, and the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The company further demonstrated its support for EU leadership on climate action in a March 2024 joint letter calling for a “competitive sustainability” approach to implementation of the Fit for 55 package. The 2024 Environmental Report also highlights Google’s participation at COP28, where the company “participated in nearly 200 engagements” while “advocating for greater climate ambition.”
Engagement with Climate-Related Policies: Google advocates positively on climate policy globally, and appears most engaged on policies related to renewable energy. The company highlighted its collaboration with industry groups in the EU to advocate for more ambitious standards under the EU Renewable Energy Directive in its 2024 Environmental Report. Google also disclosed its advocacy on Germany’s Energy Efficiency Bill in its 2024 report, but did not clearly offer a position on the legislation. In a March 2024 joint letter with Corporate Leaders Group (CLG) Europe, Google called on EU governments “to set a target of at least 90 percent net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040.”
Google appears most active on climate policy in the EU. Evidence of the company’s recent climate policy engagements in the US and other regions are limited. In an August 2022 submission to Australia’s Senate Committee on Environment and Communications, the company stated support for achieving net zero emissions by 2050, with an interim reduction target of 43% by 2030. Google supported the EPA’s right to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in a January 2022 amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in West Virginia v. EPA.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Google is highly supportive of a global energy transition that achieves widespread decarbonization, and is particularly vocal on the need to decarbonize electricity. In its 2024 Environmental Report, the company highlights its efforts to support clean energy policies and transmission development in the EU, US, and Southeast Asia. Earlier, in an April 2022 policy whitepaper, Google endorsed a number of policy measures adaptable across the globe to decarbonize the power sector through electrification, including Clean Electricity Standards and tax incentives for clean energy.
In a September 2023 open letter with the Global Renewables Alliance, Google called on policymakers to ramp up their ambitions in developing energy transition plans and streamline permitting regulations to expedite renewable energy projects. Most recently, in a September 2024 blog, Google appears to promote a role for Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies as a tool to facilitate widespread decarbonization.
Industry Association Governance: Google is not fully transparent in its disclosure of indirect engagement on climate policy. The company provides a list of its industry association memberships on its website, but does not include detail on the organizations’ climate policy positions or engagement activities. Its CDP Response offers more detail on a number of the company’s industry associations, but appears to omit membership in organizations that are negatively engaged on climate policy, such as the US Chamber of Commerce and the California Chamber of Commerce (CalChamber), where a Google executive serves on the Board of Directors.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2024.