Microsoft's next phase of climate lobbying

Microsoft has brought on the government affairs firm Lot Sixteen to lobby on sustainability and climate change, a newly public filing shows.

Why it matters: While Microsoft has lots of in-house and outside lobbyists working on all sorts of things, it's the first time an outside firm will be lobbying only on climate and environmental topics, Microsoft confirmed.

What they're saying: "The company made bold, new climate commitments this year. Adding a firm dedicated to this effort reflects this priority issue," said Kate Frischmann, a Microsoft spokeswoman.

Catch up fast: The company has made new environmental commitments and funding announcements this year including...

• In January, Microsoft pledged to become "carbon negative" by 2030 and announced a $1 billion fund for technologies and methods that pull CO2 directly from the atmosphere.
• They also set a goal of having "zero waste" from their operations, products and packaging by 2030.

Where it stands: Lot Sixteen will lobby on "programmatic design and funding, including tax treatments, to improve sustainability outcomes and address climate change," the filing states.

Quick take: As we've written about before, big corporate climate pledges, to succeed, often require policy changes that companies can influence but don't control, so their lobbying is something to watch.

Go deeper: Big Tech's climate plans come into focus