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The company, whose businesses range from messaging app WeChat to
games and cloud-based services, is also committing to using
green power for all its electricity by 2030.
Tencent said it aimed to reduce energy consumption per unit of
output in its operations and beef up use of renewable energy.
It will engage in green power trading and explore investments in
renewable energy projects, as well as adopt carbon offsets for
some business segments, while promoting a low-carbon ethos to
its consumers and businesses.
An internal review found the company's total greenhouse gas
emissions were equivalent to 5.111 million tonnes of carbon
dioxide last year, it said.
In comparison, fellow tech giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd said
its greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 were 9.514 million tonnes.
"Tencent itself wants to achieve carbon neutrality," said Xu Hao,
a vice president of the firm's sustainable social value
organisation, who leads its green initiatives.
"And ... we also hope to be able to support the country's
overall tranformation to become carbon neutral."
Last year China said it aimed to become carbon neutral by around
2060, a goal that has put pressure on its biggest firms to
prepare their own roadmaps to reach "net zero".
But China's big tech firms remain hugely dependent on its
coal-dominated energy system and only a few have committed to
switching to renewable sources of electricity.
In December, Alibaba said it was targeting the end of the decade
to attain carbon neutrality in its operations while slashing
supply chain and transport emissions.
In June, Baidu said it aimed for carbon neutral operations by
2030, but gave no specific goals.
On Thursday, Ye Ruiqi, project leader of environmental group
Greenpeace, said Tencent was now stronger on supply chain
commitments than Alibaba and Baidu.
However it hoped for more disclosures on financed emissions, as
the firm was a major corporate investor worldwide.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh, Additional reporting by David Stanway;
Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Clarence Fernandez)
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