If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now: UN urges AI giants to reveal full extent of environmental damage

Date:
Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:05:00 +0000

Description:
AI companies should reveal the full cost on the environment, UN Chief says.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter UN calls on AI companies to declare environmental cost of AI New energy projects and data centers are contributing to pollution UN sets up AI Environmental Transparency Initiative to provide insight into the impacts of water usage, carbon emissions, and
land usage Multiple studies on the direct and indirect impact of AI have predicted that the technology is damaging local and global environments, and contributing to man-made climate change.

But the full extent of the damage should be publicly disclosed by AI
companies themselves, the United Nations has said. Speaking during London Climate Action Week, UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said, If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Reveal the full environmental cost of AI 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 subSaharan Africa for an entire year, he said.

His speech (via Reuters ) also included the launch of the UNs AI
Environmental Transparency Initiative, which offers AI companies the opportunity to publicly disclose water, the environmental impacts of their water usage, carbon emissions, and land use. You may like UN warns that AI is stripping natural resources for material gain Shocking emissions stats revealed for 11 planned AI data centers in the US Data centers could cause
$25 billion in environmental and health damages, study finds

Some AI companies have agreed to net-zero commitments and decarbonization through renewable energy projects, but these commitments are largely
voluntary and do not subject companies to any repercussions if they fail to meet targets.

This has been exacerbated in the US where many of the largest AI companies operate with President Trump stripping away environmental commitments, obstructing planned renewable energy projects , removing legislation on the construction of fossil fuel energy production, and even deleting the US governments comprehensive archive of climate resources . Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get
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As AI now accounts for 80-90% of the worlds compute resources , there has
been an explosion in new data center construction projects to meet demand. Many sites have turned to on-site natural gas burning turbines to supply
their energy, which has been linked to health issues and neurological
symptoms in local populations . In other regions, data centers have been linked up to nearby energy networks causing local residents bills to skyrocket.

The total environmental cost of AI is not known, but estimates for the US
have placed the total cost at around $25 billion per year , which includes
the health costs of residents living in the polluted vicinity of data
centers. The UN hopes that the AI Environmental Transparency initiative will provide direct insight into the fiscal, human, and environmental costs of AI. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/if-ai-is-to-help-build-a-better-future-it-must-b e-honest-about-what-it-costs-us-now-un-urges-ai-giants-to-reveal-full-extent-o f-environmental-damage


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