During the London Climate Action Week, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Gutierrez, called for artificial intelligence enterprises to disclose the carbon emissions, water and land tenure generated by their operations. At the same time, he proposed an AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, which sought to promote more uniform disclosure standards for industry.
This statement comes at a time when the global AI infrastructure is expanding rapidly. As demand for model training and reasoning rises, electricity consumption, cooling water and land use in data centres are receiving closer attention from Governments and local communities.
The Initiative requires disclosure of emissions and resource consumption
Gutierrez stated that AI should not only measure the associated environmental costs but also disclose them on a regular basis. He also called on businesses to commit to providing power to data centres from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy, to the extent possible by 2030.
In his speech, he stated that the associated costs should not continue to be hidden, nor should they be passed on to groups less able to bear them. According to him, many communities still lack sufficient information about the environmental impact of AI infrastructure.
The share of electricity used in data centres is still rising
According to International Energy Agency data, coal power currently accounts for about 30 per cent of global data centre electricity sources, 27 per cent of renewable energy, 26 per cent of natural gas and 15 per cent of nuclear power. Renewable energy is expected to cover only about half of the new electricity demand over the next five years.
A report released earlier this month by the United Nations also mentioned that the AI-related data centre already accounted for about 1.5 per cent of global electricity consumption. By 2030, that proportion could be close to 3 per cent. The report also predicts that the water, energy consumption and pollution generated by AI will double in four years.
AI Growth and reduction commitments are on the rise
Large technology companies such as Amazon, Google and others have previously set cleaner energy targets, and some have plans to increase solar and nuclear power use. However, with the acceleration of the AI deployment competition, these commitments are under greater pressure to implement, with associated greenhouse gas emissions rising.
Gutierrez also stressed that AI could also help to improve energy efficiency, reduce pollution and accelerate the landing of climate solutions. In his view, however, the premise was that the industry would first provide a clearer picture of how much resources it consumed.
Climate issues intersect with energy shocks
In the same statement, Gutierrez also called on countries to accelerate the reduction of methane emissions and reduce their dependence on coal, oil and gas. He said that global energy tensions were still increasing and that the risks associated with fossil energy dependence had once again been exposed.
He mentioned that the cost of renewable energy was declining and that the global installation was continuing to grow. But in the context of energy security, geo-conflict and policy fragmentation, climate issues are increasingly intertwined with AI infrastructure expansion.