Big corporates, particularly those in the tech sector, have now pledged to take an ethical stand against climate change and pioneer movements that aim to increase the use of renewable energy sources.
Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) has said it will be carbon neutral by 2040 and Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has stated it would make some unseen renewable energy purchases.
"Once all these projects come online, our carbon-free energy portfolio will produce more electricity than places like Washington DC or entire countries like Lithuania or Uruguay use each year," Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, said in a blog post.
It is climate action day on Friday, and in the spirit of change, thousands of workers from tech behemoths including Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), Twitter (NYSE: TWTR), Google, Amazon and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), walked out today as part of a strike to demand more action against climate change by companies with immense power.
The walkout is expected to draw out millions of people at different offices around the world, and is part of a much wider Silicon Valley trend that involves workers speaking out against not only environmental issues, but other ethical issues like sexual harassment in the workplace etc.
The global protest was inspired by 16-year old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic in an emissions-free yacht in light of next week's climate summit at the United Nations. Millions see her as the figurehead of this environmental movement, and thousands gathered at a park in New York watching her address near the Statue of Liberty.
"Right now we are the ones who are making a difference. If no one else will take action, then we will," Thunberg said.
The day before the protest, Ingka Group (the group that owns most Ikea stores) stated that it had made investments in wind and solar energy that will ultimately allow the company to surpass its 2020 energy goals and consume a net amount of zero energy. This means it will produce as much energy as it consumes.
"I think as a business we are supposed to be customer obsessed, and as employees we are supposed to challenge leadership on what we think is best," said Kevin Imrie, a recruiter at Amazon's office in Toronto. "I'm a shareholder, and a good employee, and this is the right thing for us and our customers."