16 MAR K E TWATCH Microsoft was the strategic technology partner and principal sponsor of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) this year, which took place between 6 and 18 November 2022 in Sharm-El Sheikh, Egypt. In recent years, the technology firm has established environmental, societal and governance goals, which involve reducing the production and use of carbon to combat climate change. Microsoft has successfully committed to remove 2.5 million tonnes of carbon in the financial years of 2021 and 2022, according to its 2022 Impact Summary, which was published in October 2022. However, it recognises that much more must be done to combat climate change. “The world needs to move faster and COP27 will provide an important forum to move from pledges to progress,” said Brad Smith, vice chair and president of Microsoft. “We are proud to partner with the Egyptian government and support this urgent effort.” Smith spoke at the First Movers Coalition Leaders Panel on 8 November at COP27. “People sometimes look at this COP and say its only about implementation,” he said. “I think implementation is a fancy word for getting real work done.” During the summit, some of the world’s most influential political leaders, including heads of states and prime ministers, came together to plan a course of action to implement change. In its role as strategic technology partner, Microsoft aimed to help people and organisations better understand how technology can be used in solutions to the complex climate challenges facing the world today. For example, Microsoft Azure’s data analysis and artificial intelligence capabilities can predict and evaluate an organisation’s production of harmful emissions, and inform reduction measures. Microsoft leads sustainability initiatives as COP27’s strategic technology partner From monitoring data in the cloud to predicting natural disasters with AI, Microsoft revealed how technology can be used to combat the cause and impact of climate change at the summit in November Photo: Microsoft Microsoft’s pavilion at COP27 was built primarily from recycled materials
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