Microsoft has outlined plans to not just reduce, but completely remove its carbon footprint in an attempt to combat the climate crisis. 

The Xbox-maker said it intends to be carbon negative by 2030, and by 2050 hopes to have removed from the environment all the carbon it has emitted (either directly or indirectly) since it was founded in 1975. 

Outlining the plan on its blog, the company explained that those in a position to “move faster and go further” must do exactly that, which is why it’s seeking to completely remove its carbon footprint by 2050. 

It also claimed the decision to do chase the "audacious" goal was of fundamental importance to every person alive today and countless future generations, reiterating the need to urgently address the carbon and climate crisis in order to avoid "catastrophic" results.

"Ultimately, we must reach ‘net zero’ emissions, meaning that humanity must remove as much carbon as it emits each year. This will take aggressive approaches, new technology that doesn’t exist today, and innovative public policy," reads a company blog post. 

"While the world will need to reach net zero, those of us who can afford to move faster and go further should do so. That’s why today we are announcing an ambitious goal and a new plan to reduce and ultimately remove Microsoft’s carbon footprint.

"While we at Microsoft have worked hard to be 'carbon neutral' since 2012, our recent work has led us to conclude that this is an area where we’re far better served by humility than pride. And we believe this is true not only for ourselves, but for every business and organization on the planet."

Alongside its carbon removal pledge, Microsoft has also launched a new $1 billion climate innovation fund to accelerate the global development of carbon reduction, capture, and removal tech, while it also wants to use Microsoft technologies to help its suppliers and customers reduce their footprints. 

You can find out more about the company’s approach to carbon removal over on the Microsoft blog.