A report-style assessment of big tech climate progress shows how AI data center expansion is complicating corporate decarbonization strategies, with emissions trending upward for major providers. The analysis notes that companies including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta have reported emissions increases even after years of cleaner-energy purchasing and efficiency investments. It attributes part of the setback to demand spikes from AI workloads, particularly the buildout of sprawling data centers requiring power supplies that may depend on natural gas in the near term. The piece cites estimates that data centers consumed about 4.6% of U.S. electricity in 2024, with a potential sharp increase in their share over the next several years. It also points to grid interconnection delays and permitting constraints, including policy signals that may limit renewables, as factors that can prolong fossil fuel reliance.