As we celebrate Earth Day 2025 under the theme “Our Power. Our Planet.”, it’s a timely opportunity to reflect on the intersection of innovation and sustainability—particularly when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI). While AI has the power to transform industries, streamline operations, and enhance creativity, it also comes with a growing environmental footprint that we can’t afford to ignore.
The Carbon and Energy Cost of AI
Training large AI models requires immense computational power. For example, OpenAI’s GPT-3 model is estimated to have generated over 550 metric tons of CO₂ emissions during training—equivalent to the annual emissions of more than 100 cars (Wikipedia). And that’s just one model.
As the use of AI becomes more widespread, its energy consumption is expected to skyrocket. A recent study projects that AI-related electricity use could reach 1,500 terawatt-hours by 2030, nearly matching the entire energy consumption of India today (Axios, April 22, 2025). This growing demand puts pressure on energy grids and risks slowing progress toward global climate goals unless sustainable practices are adopted.
Water Use and Physical Infrastructure
In addition to energy use, AI's infrastructure consumes vast amounts of water to cool servers at data centers. Some hyperscale data centers can use hundreds of millions of gallons of water per year, raising serious concerns—especially in water-stressed regions (Axios, April 16, 2025).
Innovating with Intention
Despite these challenges, AI also holds potential for climate-positive impact. It’s already being used to optimize energy usage in buildings, reduce waste in supply chains, and improve environmental monitoring. The key is responsible deployment: choosing renewable-powered data centers, building more energy-efficient models, and creating transparent sustainability standards.
This Earth Day, let’s commit to using AI not just as a tool for innovation, but as a lever for climate action. Because when we understand the true cost of progress, we gain the power to change it—for the better.