Microsoft’s carbon-removal plans aren’t dead after all | TechCrunch

Last day to exhibit your breakthrough to 10,000+ tech leaders at Disrupt is on Oct 2. Book Exhibit Table Now. Disrupt doors open Oct. 13. Get your pass and bring someone with you at 50% off. REGISTER NOW. Microsoft is purchasing 650,000 metric tons of carbon-removal credits from startup BioCirc, the company said today. As carbon-removal deals go, it’s not a big buy. But this one is notable because last month, two reports said the tech giant was pausing its carbon-removal deals. BioCirc confirmed for TechCrunch that the purchase agreement was signed in May, weeks after Microsoft reportedly paused new deals. For the carbon-removal industry — and the startups that depend on it — there’s a big difference between a pause and a recalibration. Microsoft is reportedly responsible for more than 90% of the carbon-removal credit market, meaning its purchasing decisions alone can determine whether young companies in the space survive. Microsoft repeatedly denied that it had paused its carbon-removal purchases. “Our carbon removal program has not ended,” Melanie Nakagawa, chief sustainability officer at Microsoft, told TechCrunch in a statement. “At times we may adjust the pace or volume of our