Google Cloud Carbon Footprint and the Azure carbon dashboards are the native, no-cost tools for measuring cloud emissions on each platform. On Google, open Carbon Footprint at the billing-account level and enable the BigQuery export. On Azure, use the Carbon optimization page for resource-level emissions and rightsizing recommendations, and the Emissions Impact Dashboard in Power BI for the organization view. Read whether each figure is location-based or market-based and hold that choice constant across both clouds, then combine the exports into one warehouse, normalize on a unit metric, and set a baseline.
Google Cloud Carbon Footprint and the Azure carbon dashboards are the providers' own tools for reporting the greenhouse gas emissions of your cloud usage. They are the most accurate starting point because each draws on the provider's own facility and grid data rather than an external estimate. This article covers how to enable each, what the numbers mean, and how to bring them together, and is part of our complete guide to cloud sustainability and GreenOps, the cluster pillar it links up to. For AWS specifically, see how to use the AWS Customer Carbon Footprint Tool.
How do I use Google Cloud Carbon Footprint?
Google Cloud Carbon Footprint is a free console tool that reports gross emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3, broken down by project, service, and region. Open it at the billing-account level in the Google Cloud Carbon Footprint console to see where emissions concentrate, then enable the BigQuery export so the data lands in a table you can join to cost and query over time. The BigQuery export is what makes Google's tool useful for a real program, because it lets you track a unit metric and a baseline rather than reading a chart each month.
How do I use the Azure carbon dashboards?
Azure splits carbon across two surfaces, and they serve different jobs. The Carbon optimization page in the Azure portal shows resource-level emissions and rightsizing recommendations, so it is the tool you act on. The Emissions Impact Dashboard, delivered as a Power BI report, gives the organization-wide view and historical reporting for executives. Use Carbon optimization to find and fix the heaviest resources, and the Emissions Impact Dashboard to report progress. Both follow the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and present Scope 1, 2, and 3.
| Tool | Cloud | Best for | Export |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carbon Footprint | Google Cloud | Measurement by project and service | BigQuery |
| Carbon optimization | Azure | Resource-level action and rightsizing | Portal / API |
| Emissions Impact Dashboard | Azure | Organization view and reporting | Power BI |
How do I bring both clouds into one view?
Bring both into one view by exporting each and normalizing on a consistent method, in five steps:
- Open Google Cloud Carbon Footprint. In the console, open Carbon Footprint at the billing-account level to see emissions by project, service, and region.
- Export Google data to BigQuery. Enable the BigQuery export so emissions land in a table you can join to cost and query over time.
- Open the Azure carbon dashboards. Use Carbon optimization for resource-level emissions and rightsizing, and the Emissions Impact Dashboard in Power BI for the organization view.
- Read the scopes consistently. Check whether each figure is Scope 1, 2, or 3 and whether Scope 2 is location-based or market-based, then apply the same choice on both clouds.
- Combine into one view. Bring the BigQuery and Power BI exports into a single warehouse or sheet, normalize on a unit metric, and set a baseline to track reductions.
The cross-cloud method here is the same one in how to measure cloud carbon emissions across providers, and the dashboards feed directly into a combined cost and carbon program, as in how to align FinOps and sustainability goals in one program.
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Common questions about cloud carbon dashboards
Is Google Cloud Carbon Footprint free?
Yes. Google Cloud Carbon Footprint is available at no cost in the console at the billing-account level, and the BigQuery export of the data is also free aside from standard BigQuery storage and query charges. It reports gross emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3 by project, service, and region.
What is the difference between Azure Carbon optimization and the Emissions Impact Dashboard?
Carbon optimization is the in-portal page that shows resource-level emissions and rightsizing recommendations for active work. The Emissions Impact Dashboard is a Power BI report for the organization-wide view and historical reporting. Use Carbon optimization to act and the dashboard to report.
Can I compare Google and Azure carbon numbers directly?
Not exactly. Each provider models emissions with its own grid data, energy mix, and assumptions, so absolute totals are not strictly comparable. Hold the Scope 2 method constant across both, normalize on a unit metric, and compare trends rather than chasing one exact cross-cloud number.
Written by Fredrik Filipsson and reviewed by Morten Andersen, applying our See, Cut, Lock, Run method. Independent and vendor neutral.
Cloud pricing and service behavior change frequently. Verify the specifics in this guide against the providers’ own current documentation and the FinOps Foundation: Azure pricing ↗, Google Cloud pricing ↗ and FinOps Foundation Framework ↗. This article also reflects Cloud Cost Room’s hands-on, vendor-neutral engagement experience.