UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on leading AI companies to disclose the environmental footprint of their systems, warning that rising demand for data centres is driving significant energy, water, and land consumption worldwide.
Artificial intelligence may be advancing at an unprecedented pace, but global leaders are increasingly warning that its expansion is carrying a heavy and often hidden environmental cost. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has urged major AI companies to publicly disclose the full ecological impact of their technologies, calling for greater accountability and transparency across the sector.
Guterres stressed that the infrastructure supporting AI systems—particularly large-scale data centres—requires vast amounts of natural resources. He argued that the public deserves to understand the true environmental burden behind AI tools that appear simple to use but rely on highly complex computing systems.
“AI data centres are hungry for land, water and power,” Guterres said, adding that companies must reveal their environmental impact “as a matter of transparency.” He further emphasised that there should be “no more hidden costs” and no shifting of environmental burdens onto vulnerable communities.
Rising energy demands behind AI expansion
The concern highlighted by the UN stems from the rapidly expanding network of data centres that power modern AI applications. These facilities host thousands of servers responsible for training large AI models and processing user queries in real time. While the end-user experience is seamless, the backend infrastructure consumes significant electricity and water resources.
Energy is required not only to run computing systems but also to cool them, preventing overheating in densely packed server environments. As AI adoption accelerates across industries, the strain on power grids and water supplies is also increasing, prompting questions about long-term sustainability.
Public awareness of these issues is also growing. In several regions, communities have raised objections to the construction of new data centres, citing concerns over high electricity consumption, water usage, and land acquisition. These concerns are increasingly influencing local debates over digital infrastructure expansion.
A survey conducted in 2025 found that only around one-third of respondents in the United States support the rapid expansion of data centres tied to artificial intelligence. The study also revealed strong opposition to hosting such facilities in local communities, reflecting broader unease about the environmental implications of the AI boom.
Tech industry explores sustainable alternatives
In response to mounting scrutiny, major technology companies are exploring innovative approaches to reduce the environmental footprint of AI infrastructure. Some firms are investigating the feasibility of space-based data centres powered by solar energy, which could potentially eliminate dependence on terrestrial electricity grids.
Google is reportedly developing a concept known as Project Suncatcher, which aims to deploy AI computing systems in orbit using solar-powered satellites equipped with specialised processors. Similarly, Elon Musk has suggested the possibility of building orbital data centres powered by continuous solar energy.
Meta is also pursuing sustainability-focused initiatives, including partnerships to harness solar energy from space and store renewable power for long-duration use in its data centre operations.
As AI continues to evolve, the debate over its environmental impact is expected to intensify, with growing pressure on technology companies to balance innovation with sustainability and transparency.
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