Research shows new AI infrastructure projects pushing Microsoft off ‘credible path’ toward decarbonization

Three methane gas projects announced in just the last month to power Microsoft’s planned AI data centers means the company’s data center carbon footprint is anticipated to more than double, according to analyses developed by Stand Research Group.

These recent announcements are part of a growing trend of hyperscalers increasingly turning to on-site power generation to get data centers online more quickly. On-site generation is overwhelmingly relying on methane gas power, drastically increasing fossil fuel lock-in.

Our Big Tech campaign is committed to pushing back against this dangerous pattern through building power with local communities fighting data centers and partnering with allied organizations to hold hyperscalers like Microsoft accountable for climate impacts. Join us in demanding that all new AI infrastructure run around the clock on renewable energy, or not at all.

“LNG: Not in Our National Interest” campaign launches with week of action across Canada

Our oil and gas campaign has been busy over the past month, supporting the launch of a new cross-country campaign, LNG: Not in Our National Interest, which began with an organizing webinar in late March and culminated in major demonstrations in Ottawa, Victoria, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver last week.

The national campaign aims to pressure the government to stop giving billions in our taxpayer money to dirty energy megaprojects that mostly benefit foreign billionaires, and to start to fund the clean, renewable economy instead.

Canada should invest in cheap, reliable renewable energy that is insulated from the oil and gas industry’s boom-and-bust cycles, rather than gambling public money on expensive, volatile LNG. Learn more about the risks and take action to join us in saying no more public money for big polluters.

Stand staff joining landmark energy transition conference next week

Members of Stand’s team are currently in Santa Marta, Colombia, joining representatives of more than 45 countries for the First International Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels.

Hosted by Colombia and the Netherlands from April 24 to 29, the conference will bring together governments, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, and academics to identify practical pathways toward a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.

At a time when the climate crisis is accelerating, this conference represents a critical opportunity to move from commitments to concrete actions.

This year represents a rare moment of political alignment across three major international processes: the COP30 Presidency roadmap on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels, the COP30 Presidency roadmap on Halting and Reversing Deforestation, and the Global Biodiversity Framework review at CBD COP17.

Stand will remain engaged through these upcoming events to advocate for commitments toward a climate-safe future, including calling on governments worldwide and the financial sector to establish Fossil-Free Zones.

From paycheck to planet: Making your retirement fund climate-safe

Early last month, a landmark class action lawsuit, Kvek v. Cushman & Wakefield, was filed, alleging that one of the world’s largest real estate firms has failed to manage climate-related financial risk in its employees’ retirement plans. The case asks a question with implications that transcend this one company: are retirement plan fiduciaries doing their jobs when they ignore climate risk?

Earlier this week, our team marked Earth Day by hosting a free teach-in, “From Paycheck to Planet,” a practical, worker-focused session on what’s in your 401(K), why it matters for your financial future and the climate, and how to formally request your employer offer climate-safe investment options.

At a moment of growing legal scrutiny over how retirement fiduciaries manage climate risk, workers have more power than they know. Join us to take action in making your retirement fund climate safe.

New data shows banks and pensions attempting to profit from billions in investments into ICE contractors

New data recently released by Stand reveals that major financial institutions including pensions and banks across the United States and Canada have heavily invested and financed companies that have profited from contracts enabling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) repression and violence in the U.S.

The data release came soon after a late March weekend of international protests against the Trump administration’s regressive authoritarian policies. The ICE-contracted companies being invested in and financed by North American financial institutions include Palantir, CoreCivic, Geo Group, General Dynamics, CACI, L3Harris, and AT&T.

Canadian and U.S. public pension funds combined have more than $11.3 billion invested in the above listed ICE contractors, while banks globally have issued more than $218 billion in financing to the same contractors since 2020.