UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on artificial intelligence companies to disclose their environmental footprint and commit to renewable energy targets.

The demand comes as the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure threatens to accelerate climate change through increased fossil-fuel consumption. This growth places significant pressure on global water supplies, land resources, and power grids.

Guterres said AI firms must "come clean" about their environmental footprint. He specifically called for these companies to commit to powering every data centre with renewable energy by 2030 [2].

The urgency of the request coincides with a second heatwave sweeping across Europe. This extreme weather underscores the volatility of a climate already strained by industrial energy demands.

A UN report released in June 2024 [2] highlights the scale of the issue. The report said that if data centres were classified as a country, they would rank 11th globally in electricity consumption in 2025 [1].

Industry growth has led to a surge in energy needs that often outpaces the transition to green power. The UN said that without transparency and strict timelines, the AI boom will undermine global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

"The AI boom is putting growing pressure on power grids, water supplies, and land resources," a UN report said [3].

“AI firms must "come clean" about their environmental footprint.”

The UN's push for transparency signals a shift toward treating AI infrastructure as a major global utility with a systemic environmental impact. By benchmarking data centres against national electricity consumption, the UN is framing AI not just as a technological advancement, but as a primary driver of energy demand that could jeopardize international climate goals if not decoupled from fossil fuels.