London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Google workers pen open letter to company demanding climate action

Google workers pen open letter to company demanding climate action

Googlers are calling on the company to address specific climate demands.

In an open letter published Monday addressed to Google CFO Ruth Porat, workers are asking for a climate plan that incorporates specific asks that have similarly been set by workers at other tech companies, including Amazon and Microsoft.

The four demands Googlers are calling for include: zero emissions by 2030; no contracts that enable or accelerate the extraction of fossil fuels, which are responsible for a large percentage of greenhouse gas emissions; no funding for think tanks, lobbyists or politicians who deny climate change; and no collaborating with those enabling "incarceration, surveillance, displacement, or oppression of refugees or frontline communities."

The letter, posted to Medium by a group called Google Workers For Action on Climate, was signed by more than 1,100 workers at Google. According to a climate change report put out by Google's parent company, Alphabet, Porat has the "highest level of direct responsibility for climate change" with "visibility across all of the company's operations."

Google declined to comment but pointed CNN Business to a recent post from Porat concerning sustainability. In the post, she detailed how the company has been carbon-neutral since 2007 and recently made the largest corporate renewable energy purchase. But according to Google's 2019 Environmental Report, it put 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, or greenhouse gas emissions, into the environment last year, which it covers with offset programs.

It is the latest example of worker activism in motion at Google, whose workers walked out of offices around the globe in droves one year ago in protest of the company's handling of sexual harassment, misconduct and a lack of transparency.

Hundreds of Googlers were among tech workers who participated in climate strikes on September 20, ahead of the climate summit at the United Nations. Now, Googlers are pushing the company to address their concerns.

Following pressure from Amazon workers ahead of the strike, CEO Jeff Bezos announced on September 19 a broad climate plan, including committing to being net zero annual carbon emissions by 2040, which the company's workers praised as "a huge win" but also "not enough."

"After I joined the Global Climate Strike and read the Amazon workers' demands, I realized the support I provide to the oil business puts CO2 in the atmosphere, the revenue I bring in is funding climate-denying politicians, and the growth I facilitate increases carbon-releasing energy production," David Newgas, a technical program manager for the Google Cloud Platform who signed the letter.

"It is very personal," said Newgas, who also participated in the September strike.

But there is some indication that the company is taking note of workers' concerns. CEO Sundar Pichai said Google "could achieve zero emissions by 2030," according to a report from the Financial Times in September. However, The Guardian recently reported Google has given large contributions to organizations that have denied climate change -- a move that sparked criticism. It told the publication it is "hardly alone among companies that contribute to organizations while strongly disagreeing with them on climate policy."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The Great Western Exit: Why Best Citizens Are Fleeing the Rich World [PODCAST]
The New Robber Barons of Intelligence: Are AI Bosses More Powerful Than Rockefeller?
The End of the Old Order [Podcast]
Britain’s Democracy Is Now a Costume
The AI Gold Rush Is Coming for America’s Last Open Spaces [Podcast]
The Pentagon’s AI Squeeze: Eight Tech Giants Get In, Anthropic Gets Shut Out [Podcast]
The War Map: Professor Jiang’s Dark Theory of Iran, Trump, China, Russia, Israel, and the Coming Global Shock [Podcast]
Labour Is No Longer a National Party [Podcast]
AI Isn’t Stealing Your Job. It’s Dismantling It Piece by Piece.
Lawyers vs Engineers: Why China Builds While America Litigates [Podcast]
Churchill’s Glass: The Drunk, the Doctor, and the Myth Britain Refuses to Sober Up From
Apple issues an unusual warning: this is how your iPhone can be hacked without you doing anything
Kennedy’s Quiet War on Antidepressants Sparks Alarm Across America’s Medical Establishment
The Met Gala Meets the Age of Billionaire Backlash
Russian Oligarch’s Superyacht Crosses Hormuz via Iran-Controlled Route
Gunfire Disrupts White House Correspondents’ Dinner as Trump Is Evacuated
A Leak, a King, and a Fracturing Alliance
Inside the Gates Foundation Turmoil: Layoffs, Scrutiny, and the Cost of Reputational Risk
UK Biobank Breach Exposes Health Data of 500,000, Listed for Sale on Chinese Platform
KPMG Cuts Around 10% of US Audit Partners After Failed Exit Push
French Police Probe Suspected Weather-Data Tampering After Unusual Polymarket Bets on Paris Temperatures
CATL Unveils Revolutionary EV Battery Tech: 1000 km Range and 7-Minute Charging Ahead of Beijing Auto Show
Crypto Scammers Capitalize on Maritime Chaos Near the Strait of Hormuz: A Rising Threat to Shipping Companies
Changi Airport: How Singapore Engineered the World’s Most Efficient Travel Experience
Power Dynamics: Apple’s Leadership Shakeup, Geopolitical Risks in the Strait of Hormuz, and Europe's Energy Strategy Amidst Global Challenges
Apple's Leadership Transition: Can New CEO John Ternus Navigate AI Challenges and Geopolitical Pressures?
Italy’s €100K Tax Gambit: Europe’s Soft Power Tax Haven
News Roundup
Microsoft lost 2.5 millions users (French government) to Linux
Privacy Problems in Microsoft Windows OS
News roundup
Péter András Magyar and the Strategic Reset of Hungary
Hungary After the Landslide — A Strategic Reset in Europe
Meghan Markle Plans Exclusive Women-Focused Retreat During Australia Visit
Starmer and Trump Hold Strategic Talks on Securing Strait of Hormuz Amid Rising Tensions
Unofficial Australia Visit by Prince Harry and Meghan Expected to Stir Tensions with Royal Circles
Pipeline Attack Cuts Significant Share of Saudi Arabia’s Oil Export Capacity
UK Stocks Rise on Ceasefire Momentum and Renewed Focus on Diplomacy
UK to Hold Further Strategic Talks on Strait of Hormuz Security
Starmer Voices Frustration as Global Tensions Drive Up UK Energy Costs
UK Students Voice Concern Over Proposal for Automatic Military Draft Registration
Rising Volatility Drives Uncertainty in UK Fuel and Petrol Prices
UK Moves to Deploy ‘Skyhammer’ Anti-Drone System to Strengthen Airspace Defense
New Analysis Explores UK Budget Mechanics in ‘Behind the Blue’ Feature
Man Arrested After Four Die in Channel Crossing Tragedy
UK Tightens Immigration Framework with New Sponsor Rules and Fee Increases
UK Foreign Secretary Highlights Impact of Intensified Strikes in Lebanon
UK Urges Inclusion of Lebanon in US-Iran Ceasefire Framework
UK Stocks Ease as Ceasefire Doubts in Middle East Weigh on Investor Confidence
UK Reassesses Cloud Strategy Amid Criticism Over Limited Support Measures
×