New Delhi — Artificial intelligence could double its electricity consumption by 2030, accounting for about 3% of global power use and producing greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of the United Kingdom, according to a United Nations report.
The report also warned that AI could consume more water for cooling than the annual drinking water needs of the global population.
According to the report, AI use could lead to the “Jevons paradox,” in which technological improvements that make resource use more efficient end up increasing total consumption rather than reducing it.
The concept comes from economist William Stanley Jevons, who observed the effect in 19th-century England. Efficiency gains in coal use lowered costs, which led to expanded use and higher overall demand.
The report said a similar pattern could emerge with AI. As models become cheaper and more attractive, new use cases and higher volumes of usage could erode any savings from efficiency improvements.
To avoid that outcome, the report proposed a roadmap for responsible AI use based on transparency, efficiency by design, equity and justice, lifecycle responsibility, global cooperation and sustainable use.
The report said data centers consumed as much electricity as Saudi Arabia last year. If electricity use doubles by 2030, the resulting carbon footprint would require 6.7 billion trees grown over 10 years to offset the demand, according to the report.
It also estimated that data centers would require about 9.3 trillion liters of water and land nearly 10 times the size of Mexico City to support that growth.
The report warned of an emerging digital and environmental divide, noting that only 32 countries host AI-specific cloud infrastructure, with 90% of that capacity located in the U.S. and China.
Countries that consume AI services could also bear a disproportionate environmental burden from mineral extraction and electronic waste, the report said.
The U.N. urged routine environmental disclosures at both the model and task level, saying responsible AI requires full value-chain governance, from mineral sourcing to recycling and safe disposal. (Source: IANS)
