AI companies should release environmental impact, commit to clean
energy, says UN chief
[June 23, 2026] By
ALEXA ST. JOHN
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on
artificial intelligence companies to release information about the
carbon pollution they create, along with the water and land used to
power their operations.
While urging action in an address at London Climate Action Week,
Guterres proposed the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, arguing
AI companies should measure and disclose the impact of their
increasingly in-demand technology — impact which has been cited by
opponents as reasons to curb the rapid growth of data centers. These
companies have faced mounting pressure, both from governments and
locally in areas with data centers that support AI, for increased
transparency and more standardized reporting across the industry.
Guterres said AI companies should also commit to powering their
facilities with electricity produced with renewable technologies, such
as wind and solar, by 2030.
“No more hidden costs,” Guterres said at Europe’s largest independent
climate conference. “No more shifting the burden onto those least able
to bear it. It is time to come clean.”
AI's needs are growing|
Many major tech companies have vowed to power their operations using
cleaner sources, some by the end of the decade. Some plan to do so
especially using solar and nuclear, including tech giants Amazon and
Google.
But the race to deploy AI has complicated those commitments and sent
soaring greenhouse gas emissions, which come from the burning of fuels
like oil, coal and gas, and heat the planet. Regulatory barriers have
also hindered climate-friendly projects.
Currently, coal sources about 30% of the electricity consumed by data
centers globally, according to the International Energy Agency.
Renewable energy – primarily wind, solar and hydro powers – supplies
about 27%, natural gas, 26%, and nuclear, 15%. Renewables are expected
to meet just half of that demand over the next five years.
As AI booms, many, including Guterres, have touted its ability to
accelerate climate solutions. It could improve energy efficiency, and
reduce pollution and emissions.
At the same time, the environmental footprint of data centers already
rivals some of the world’s largest countries, according to a U.N. report
released earlier this month.
That report also said the water, energy use and pollution associated
with AI will double in just four years. Data centers needed to fuel AI
accounted for about 1.5% of the world’s electricity consumption in 2025,
and will account for nearly 3% of the world’s projected electricity use
by 2030.
“Despite these obvious concerns, communities are often left in the dark
about the environmental impact of the infrastructure rising around
them,” Guterres said in his remarks.
The UN continues to sound urgent alarms
The U.N. chief has long urged the world to take serious climate action,
and will once again convene leaders at the annual Conference of Parties,
this year in Turkey, to negotiate plans.
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a
statement during a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels,
March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana, File)
 On Tuesday, addressing AI was just a
number of steps he said needed to be taken to keep the world below
the warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)
compared to pre-industrial times, a goal set during the 2015 Paris
Agreement.
Last year was the first time that the three-year temperature average
broke through that threshold.
“Every major emitter must accelerate action,” Guterres said. “And
every country must over-deliver on its commitments.”
He called for cutting methane, a powerful greenhouse gas responsible
for around one-third of global warming and significantly more potent
than carbon dioxide, though comparatively it lingers for less time
in the atmosphere. He also called for a reduction in dependence on
coal, oil and gas.
Renewables progress seen around the globe but challenges remain
Guterres noted in his remarks positive developments in renewable
energy, as scale drives down the costs of the technologies and
adoption increases.
Clean power generation — largely driven by solar and wind — exceeded
overall global electricity demand growth last year. The share of
renewables also hit more than one-third of the world’s electricity
mix for the first time in modern history in 2025, and coal power saw
its share fall below one-third of global generation.
China continues to drive the world's clean energy transition, and in
Europe, fossil generation is generally trending down.
But the U.S. under President Donald Trump has embraced coal, oil and
gas and slashed support for renewables and broader climate action —
all amid the global energy crisis exacerbated by the U.S. war in
Iran, which Guterres called “the mother of all energy shocks.”
Guterres referred to the current state of the world as “A Tale of
Two Crises," drawing a metaphor to the Charles Dickens’ novel, “A
Tale of Two Cities” — also a nod to London where the address was
given.
“For the climate agenda, this is indeed the best of times and the
worst of times,” he said. “The worst – because climate impacts are
intensifying, tipping points are looming, and the energy crisis has
exposed the deep risks of dependence on fossil fuels. But also the
best – because the renewables revolution is well underway.”
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