United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called on artificial intelligence companies to publicly disclose the environmental impact of their operations, warning that the rapid expansion of data centers is placing growing strain on global energy, water, and land resources.
Speaking during London Climate Action Week, Guterres launched the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, urging companies to measure and report the full footprint of their systems, including carbon emissions, water use, and land consumption. He also called on the industry to commit to running entirely on renewable energy by 2030, stressing the need for greater accountability. “No more hidden costs. It is time to be transparent,” he said.
The appeal comes amid mounting evidence of AI’s accelerating environmental footprint. A United Nations University study published earlier this month found that AI-related water consumption could match the basic annual domestic needs of 1.3 billion people by 2030. The same report estimates that data centers could consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually nearly three times the combined consumption of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria while occupying more than 14,500 square kilometres of land.
Energy sourcing remains a key concern. According to the International Energy Agency, coal accounts for around 30% of global data center electricity use, with renewables supplying about 27%, followed by natural gas at 26% and nuclear at 15%. Renewables are expected to meet only about half of data center demand over the next five years.
Despite growing scrutiny, most major AI companies continue to rely on voluntary climate commitments. A 2025 report by the International Telecommunication Union found that indirect carbon emissions from Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta increased by an average of 150% between 2020 and 2023, largely driven by the expansion of energy-intensive data centers.
Alongside the UN initiative, local governments are also stepping up oversight. Mayors from 40 cities, including London, Phoenix, and Melbourne, have joined a Global Urban Data Centres Pact aimed at setting standards for clean energy use, improving resource efficiency, and integrating data infrastructure into urban planning.
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