UN asks AI companies to reveal full environmental impacts

UN Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled an initiative to hold artificial intelligence companies accountable for their environmental impacts.
In his speech at London Climate Action Week, Guterres highlighted that AI can accelerate climate solutions while cautioning about its high demands for electricity, water, and land.
Guterres called for all major AI companies to power all data centres with renewable energy by 2030, a directive he originally proposed in July 2025.
He proposed the “AI Environmental Transparency Initiative,” urging AI companies to measure and disclose their environmental impacts fully, including carbon, water, and land footprints.
Guterres underscored the necessity for transparency to ensure AI is a force for good, despite opposition it faces in some communities due to environmental concerns.
The initiative comes amid warnings about the escalating power consumption of data centers, which could double emissions within six years according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Community opposition to data centers has heightened, with Monterey Park being the first U.S. city to ban them, and over $64 billion worth of national projects delayed or stopped due to local pushback.
The European Union is also working on minimum energy-efficiency standards for data centers and plans a sustainability label covering water use and clean energy supply.