United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calls on artificial-intelligence companies to provide fuller transparency about the environmental effects of running AI systems. In statements carried by multiple outlets, he urges firms to disclose the carbon emissions as well as water and energy consumption associated with their data centres, and to make these impacts easier for the public to understand. The request comes amid increasing scrutiny of the rapid expansion of data-centre infrastructure, particularly regarding electricity demand and water use, and reports of limited disclosure and community opposition in some locations.
Several sources note that Guterres frames the issue as “hidden costs” and argues that the environmental bill should not be treated as someone else’s problem. Fortune and other reports say he proposes a more systematic, potentially mandatory transparency initiative. Euronews also cites a UN study that characterizes data-centre power consumption as comparable to the electricity use of all but a small number of countries. Across coverage, the central point is that UN leaders are pressing AI companies to publish more comprehensive footprint data covering emissions and resource use tied to their operations and supply chains.
