London, United Kingdom – June 23, 2026 — United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday announced the launch of the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative during an address at London Climate Action Week, calling on major artificial intelligence companies in the private sector to publicly disclose the full environmental impacts of their systems and commit to powering all data centres with renewable energy by 2030.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over the rapidly expanding environmental footprint of AI infrastructure, including its demand for electricity, freshwater resources and land.
The announcement was inspired by recommendations from UNU-INWEH's report this month, Environmental Cost of AI: Energy Use, Carbon, Water and Land Footprints, which documented the hidden resource demands associated with AI infrastructure and called for greater transparency and accountability across the sector.
Guterres said that 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. “If AI is to help build a better future, it must be honest about what it costs us now.”
Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), described the Secretary-General's initiative as "a gift" and "an opportunity to be proactive instead of reactive."
Madani, who led the recent UN University investigation, said the initiative offers the AI industry an opportunity to address growing public concerns about its environmental impacts.
“We cannot properly manage what we do not measure,” said Madani. “The industry now has a golden chance to change some of the wrong perceptions that have been shaped by disinformation campaigns against AI to ensure that AI is an enabler of sustainability transition and not its enemy.”
The initiative follows growing evidence that AI's environmental impacts extend beyond its digital interface and into physical infrastructure and resource consumption, with costs and benefits that are often unfairly distributed across communities and generations.
The AI Environmental Transparency Initiative seeks to establish transparency and accountability as foundational principles for responsible AI development. By making environmental impacts publicly available and comparable across companies, the initiative aims to support informed policymaking while encouraging a transition toward sustainable and renewable-powered AI infrastructure.
REPORT INFORMATION
Aczel, M., Chamanara, S., Matin, M., Farsi, A., Marwala, T., Madani, K. (2026). Environmental Cost of AI's Energy Use: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints. United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. doi: 10.53328/INR26RMA002
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ABOUT UNU-INWEH
Marking its 30th anniversary of operation in 2026, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of 13 institutions that make up the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the UN. Known as 'The UN's Think Tank on Water', UNU-INWEH addresses critical water, environmental, and health challenges around the world. Through research, training, capacity development, and knowledge dissemination, the institute contributes to solving pressing global sustainability and human security issues of concern to the UN and its Member States. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, UNU-INWEH has been hosted and supported by the Government of Canada since 1996. With a global mandate and extensive partnerships across UN entities, international organizations, and governments, UNU-INWEH operates through its UNU Hubs in Calgary, Hamburg, New York, Lund, and Pretoria, and an international network of affiliates.
