The United Nations is pushing major artificial intelligence companies to come clean about the environmental damage caused by their rapidly expanding data centers, with the UN’s top official launching a new transparency initiative on Tuesday.
Speaking during London Climate Action Week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres painted a stark picture of just how resource-hungry the AI industry has become. “By 2030, they could use more power than all but five countries – and enough water to meet the basic needs of all 1.3 billion residents of sub-Saharan Africa for an entire year,” he warned.
The worldwide boom in data center construction to support the AI industry has already raised alarms among environmental groups, who have pointed to the facilities’ enormous appetite for both energy and water, as well as a general lack of transparency from the companies involved.
As part of the newly unveiled UN AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, Guterres urged AI companies to track and publicly report their water usage, carbon output, and land use. He also called on those firms to commit to powering all of their data centers with renewable energy by the year 2030.
“If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now,” he said.
Currently, AI companies largely depend on voluntary net-zero pledges and renewable energy goals to reduce their carbon footprints. Many are also turning to natural gas or promoting nuclear power as energy sources for new facilities.
Guterres expressed frustration that the world is falling short of its global climate targets and pushed back against those advocating for greater fossil fuel use. He argued that expanding renewable energy projects and using them to power transportation, buildings, and industry is one of the quickest paths to cutting emissions and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Beyond AI, Guterres also introduced a call to action targeting methane emissions, directing fossil fuel companies to repair leaks, end routine flaring, and adopt a science-based global standard for emissions. “I am urging the fossil fuel industry to step up and do what is long overdue,” he said, noting that methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas responsible for roughly one-third of current global warming.
Additionally, Guterres announced he plans to bring world leaders together this September in the lead-up to COP31, the UN Climate Conference scheduled to take place in Turkey, with the goal of accelerating a “just transition” away from fossil fuels.
