Artificial intelligence companies should disclose the environmental impact of their data centres and commit to powering them with renewable energy by 2030, the UN Secretary General has said.
Antonio Guterres told London Climate Action Week that he supported work to “harness the potential” of artificial intelligence to “cure disease, transform education and enable humanity to tackle challenges once thought beyond our reach”.
The UN Secretary General said he is now proposing an AI Environmental Transparency Initiative to address the climate impact of rapid expansion in the industry.
“AI is also hungry for land, water and power. The data centres behind it already consume more electricity than most nations,” he said.
“By 2030 they could use more power than all but five countries and enough water to meet the basic needs of all 1.3 billion residents of sub-Saharan Africa for an entire year. They take up land too – often in places that see few of the benefits.”
This year’s London Climate Action Week is shining a spotlight on the environmental impact of AI, which was mapped out by a recent UN report on the electricity, water and land demands of the boom in data centres.
They are forecast to consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030, which is nearly triple the combined annual electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, countries collectively home to more than 650 million people, said the study.
The water consumption needed to cool the vast banks of servers in data centres could equal the basic annual domestic needs of 1.3 billion people by the end of the decade.
The report from the UN University's Institute for Water, Environment and Health also said land requirements may exceed 14,500 square kilometres, which is roughly twice the size of the Jakarta metropolitan area.
“Despite these obvious concerns, communities are often left in the dark about the environmental impact of the infrastructure rising around them,” said Mr Guterres.
“I am calling on every major AI company to measure and publicly disclose the full environmental impact of its systems – carbon, water and land footprints – and commit to power very data centre with renewable energy by 2030.
“No more hidden costs. No more shifting the burden on to those least able to bear it. It is time to come clean. If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now.”
Public support for AI data centres is dwindling in many developed countries, particularly in the US, where opposition cuts across the political divide.
A poll conducted by Public First found only 26 per cent of Americans supported increased construction of data centres, with 30 per cent of Britons, Germans and French backing such projects. Support was highest in Nigeria, where 74 per cent wanted more building more infrastructure, and in India, at 65 per cent.
The mayors of 36 cities around the world will also use London Climate Action Week to launch a Global Urban Data Centres Pact which they say will deliver cleaner energy, lower costs and healthier communities.
The mayors backing the pact say they don’t reject data centres but argue their cities have seen a sharp rise in their growth. As such they have to balance residents’ concerns with the demands of the AI industry on land, water and power systems.
The pact calls for data centres that are strategically integrated into cities, sustainable and resource efficient, engaged with the local community and focused on driving down costs and shared prosperity for cities.
The mayors are part of the C40 Cities network of nearly 100 city leaders, who are working to tackle climate change.
Kate Gallego, the Mayor of Phoenix and a vice chairwoman of C40 Cities, said the US city “has experienced first-hand the significant expansion of AI and digital economy infrastructure”.
Phoenix has emerged as the fifth -argest data centre market in the US, with more than 50 providers running over 180 centres, but it is in a “severely water-stressed region” according to Ceres, an NGO.
“While data centres can power important advancements, rapid growth also brings important responsibilities,” Ms Gallego said.
Residents expect local leaders to ensure development is planned carefully, infrastructure keeps pace, and surrounding communities share in the benefits.”
