By Muhammad Sal
The United Nations is putting pressure on major tech companies to run all their artificial intelligence (AI) data centers with clean energy by 2030, sounding the alarm on the climate risks posed by runaway technology growth.
On Tuesday in New York, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced a new report urging big tech to go green or push global climate goals off track. He warned: “AI can boost efficiency, innovation and resilience in energy systems, but it is also energy hungry. This is not sustainable, unless we make it so”.
A single large AI data center now gobbles up as much electricity as 100,000 homes. The next wave of even bigger facilities could use 20 times more than that. If things don’t change, AI-driven data centers might soon use the same amount of electricity as Japan’s entire population by 2030.
Guterres also stated another issue, how data centers use water for cooling. He asked tech firms to think about environmental effects when planning their infrastructure.
Renewable energy is expanding fast. Costs are dropping, and more than 90% of new clean energy projects now beat fossil fuels on price. In 2024, $2 trillion was invested in clean energy, nearly doubling the $1.2 trillion spent on fossil fuels.
But this growth is not shared equally. The UN says nearly all the progress is in rich countries like the US, Europe, and China. Developing countries, are left behind because they have less access to finance and new technology. Africa attracted just 1.5% of global renewable energy investment in 2024, even though it’s home to most of the world’s people without electricity.
“The race for the new must not be a race for the few. It must be a relay, shared, inclusive, and resilient” – Guterres
The UN’s report urges renewed global action so developing countries don’t get left even further behind.
AI and tech innovation need to help, not harm, for the fight for a green and sustainable future, UN said. The clock is ticking for big tech to step up and lead by example before it’s too late.
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