The escalating electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence has placed the technology sector in the spotlight for the upcoming UN climate conference, COP31.
The unchecked acceleration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not only transforming the digital market but also straining global power grids and increasing the technology sector’s carbon footprint.
In light of this scenario, the president of COP31 and Turkish Minister of Climate, Murat Kurum, announced that the operational sustainability of these technologies will be one of the central pillars of the summit scheduled for November 2026 in Antalya.
This move reflects a global alert regarding the massive consumption of energy and water required by data centers. With projections indicating that the energy consumption of AI servers is expected to double by 2030, reaching approximately 945 TWh — a volume capable of powering over 500 million homes —, the pressure on big tech companies to operate with clean energy sources has become inevitable.
The Challenge of Transparency and Resource Use
During Climate Week in New York, the tone was one of stern accountability. The UN executive secretary for Climate Change, Simon Stiell, demanded that companies in the sector prove the social cost-benefit of their innovations.
According to the official, technology cannot be an engine that drives the use of fossil fuels and inequality, while simultaneously increasing energy prices for the end consumer.
Tech giants need to start demonstrating why the benefits of AI outweigh their exorbitant costs – for the majority, not just a select few.
This concern has already led to practical measures. In July, New York State froze new permits for data centers, aiming to protect the stability of the local power grid. The measure reflects a growing dilemma between technological advancement and the infrastructure capacity of modern cities.
Contradictions Between Goals and Practices
Although COP31 aims to be a milestone for responsible AI, the host countries, Turkey and Australia, face scrutiny over their domestic policies.
The Climate Action Tracker pointed out that both countries still maintain a strong reliance on coal-based and fossil fuel-based energy matrices, making electrification goals for the next decade a complex public policy challenge.
The issue also extends beyond environmental limits, seeping into geopolitics. Leaders such as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are preparing debates on sector regulation, where interests range from national security and technological dominance to distrust of climate warnings.
The future of clean energy will, therefore, depend on how the world reconciles the hunger for high-performance computing with planetary limits.
