photo of a lens ball sitting on moss in a forest

Sustainability Science and Innovation

Microsoft Corporate Energy, Connectivity and Sustainability

Empower people and enable the planet to thrive

What we do

We work with researchers, businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations around the world to empower people and enable the planet to thrive —through technology and innovation for energy, connectivity, and sustainability

Sustainability Science and Innovation is a core part of Microsoft’s Corporate Energy,, Connectivity and Sustainability team. We lead the corporate AI and sustainability work, and inform Microsoft’s strategy and investments to help empower people and protect Earth’s life support system. We work with researchers and practioners inside and outside Microsoft.  

We bring deep subject matter and technology expertise to our operations and strategic customer conversations. We work with partners and customers at the intersection of natural, social sciences and digital technology to understand complex sustainability challenges and find science-based solutions. 

We contribute our expertise to rapidly advance the best available science in the regions in which we operate.

Environmental Sustainability | Microsoft CSR

Current focus areas:

  • AI and Sustainability. We lead the cross-company work on AI and sustainability. This includes working with researchers, engineers, business leaders inside and outside of Microsoft to advance AI as a tool for accelerating sustainability and for understanding and reducing the sustainability impact of AI operations.
  • Net Zero. Microsoft has committed to becoming carbon negative by 2030 and the world needs to achieve net-zero by 2050 to avoid dangerous climate change.  We work to ensure that the best available science and technology enables the reduction and removal of carbon emissions.
  • Ecosystem and Biodiversity. Microsoft is committed to protecting and restoring nature. We work with our investments, our design, and our research and tools to restore natural systems, improve our understanding of and protect biodiversity
Publication Earth Alignment Principle for Artificial Intelligence 

At a time when the world must cut greenhouse gas emissions precipitously, artificial intelligence (AI) brings large opportunities and large risks. To address its uncertain environmental impact, we propose the ‘Earth alignment’ principle to guide AI development and deployment towards planetary stability.

Who we are

Amy Luers smiling for the camera

Dr. Amy Luers

Head of, Sustainability Science, Microsoft and Innovation | Citations (opens in new tab)

Amy has over two decades of experience working on climate and sustainability. Her areas of expertise cover climate, ecosystems and water.

Prior to joining Microsoft, she served as executive director of Future Earth, assistant director for climate resilience and information at the White House in the Obama administration, director of climate at the Skoll Global Threats Fund, and senior environment manager at Google. Amy serves on the foresight committee of the Veolia Institute, and on the boards of several organizations including the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative and the Global Council for Science and the Environment. She is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and is a member of National Academies Committees.

portrait of Trevor Dhu

Dr. Trevor Dhu

Asia Lead, Sustainability Science, Microsoft | Citations (opens in new tab)

Trevor has over twenty years of experience connecting science and technology to environmental management problems. His areas of expertise cover Earth observations, natural hazards risks and open data.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Trevor led the establishment of Digital Earth Australia, a continental scale analytics platform that enabled Australia to use satellite data, environmental science and machine learning to improve the management of natural resources.

environmental sustainability - microscopic view of glass-like bubbles

We are part of the greater Environmental Sustainability Research effort at Microsoft Research

Learn more about our research >