UN chief urges AI companies to ‘come clean’ about the pollution they generate

Secretary-General António Guterres proposed the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative at London Climate Action Week.

The Douglas County Google Data Center complex is visible, March 6, 2026, in Lithia Springs, Ga. [Photo: Mike Stewart, File/AP Photo]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on AI companies to release information about the carbon pollution they create, along with the water and land used to power their operations.In an address at London Climate Action Week, Guterres proposed the AI Environmental Transparency Initiative, arguing artificial intelligence companies should measure and disclose the impact of their technology—impact that opponents cite as a reason to curb the rapid growth of data centers. Both national governments and local authorities in areas with data centers that support AI are exerting pressure on these companies for more transparency and more standardized reporting across the industry.Guterres said 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 at Europe’s largest independent climate conference. “No more shifting the burden onto those least able to bear it. It is time to come clean.”

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