UN climate chief urges AI firms to cut emissions as data centers expand
Simon Stiell said AI companies should set credible climate targets as data centers’ share of electricity demand is expected to rise.
United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell urged artificial intelligence companies to set emissions targets as data centers increase energy use and add to planet-warming pollution.
“Energy guzzling artificial intelligence is driving up planet-heating pollution from coal, oil and gas, while ratcheting up energy costs for households and businesses,” Stiell said in a speech Monday as the UN General Assembly and Climate Week began in New York.
Stiell said AI leaders were “on thin ice” with the public and called for credible climate targets, emissions cuts and greater efficiency. Data centers accounted for 1.9% of global electricity demand last year, and that share is expected to more than double by 2030, according to BloombergNEF.
Two major AI companies, Anthropic and OpenAI, have not disclosed their greenhouse-gas emissions, made net-zero pledges or published sustainability reports. A new California law will require large companies in the state to disclose emissions later this year.
US energy-related emissions are projected to reach about 4.4 billion metric tons by 2035 if AI developers choose the cheapest electricity, according to BloombergNEF modeling. That is 6% above its previous forecast from May.
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US data center developers have planned more than 120 gigawatts of on-site gas power, BNEF data show. Advanced nuclear and geothermal projects remain costly and slow to scale, while intermittent renewable power requires storage to supply AI facilities around the clock.
The International Energy Agency said data centers, including those not serving AI, could account for about 2% of global electricity-sector emissions by 2035. A definitive assessment of AI’s greenhouse-gas footprint has not yet been produced.
Stiell said AI companies could also contribute to climate solutions, but the benefits must outweigh the costs. The UN has said the world will soon overshoot the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius warming target and must accelerate emissions cuts and carbon removal.