UN urges AI firms to disclose impact and adopt renewables by 2030

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on Tuesday for major artificial intelligence companies to fully disclose the environmental impact of their data centers and commit to powering them with renewable energy by 2030. Speaking at London Climate Action Week, Guterres launched the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, urging firms to measure and publicly report their carbon emissions, water consumption, and land use.

The call for greater accountability is supported by a recent report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, which warns that the environmental footprint of AI is expanding rapidly. The report projects that by 2030, global data centers powering AI could consume approximately 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, nearly 3 percent of the world's projected electricity use. This figure is nearly triple the combined annual electricity consumption of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.

Beyond electricity, the report highlights significant water and land impacts. AI-related water consumption could reach 9.3 trillion liters per year by 2030, equivalent to the basic annual domestic water needs of about 1.3...