19-07-2025
Net zero? Zero chance: AI emissions to exceed air travel, report says
Companies and governments have in recent years spent heavily on following and enforcing net zero stipulations aimed at reducing or eliminating carbon emissions by mid-century. — Pixabay
LONDON: Researchers are questioning the efforts of companies and governments to achieve so-called net-zero emissions targets while also backing the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), whose emissions are now projected to "far exceed" those of air travel.
"Tech companies' self-reported global emissions have been growing rapidly – even before the generative AI boom," say University of Cambridge researchers, explaining that the sector will be the source of 8% of greenhouse gas emissions by the end of the next decade.
"Increasing investment in AI infrastructure will come with large costs in terms of carbon emissions, electricity use and water consumption," the team warn in a report published in July.
Companies and governments have in recent years spent heavily on following and enforcing "net zero" stipulations aimed at reducing or eliminating carbon emissions by mid-century.
However, the researchers are concerned that governments are increasingly promoting AI as the next big technological advance – despite its voracious appetite for electricity and concerns that it poses a threat to the jobs of millions – with data centres already sucking up between 2%-4% of power in China, Europe and the US.
"Energy grids are already stretched," said John Naughton, chair of the Advisory Board at Cambridge's Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy. "Every megawatt allocated to AI data centres will be a megawatt unavailable for housing or manufacturing."
The Cambridge report was published as polling company Gallup published a survey showing almost half the respondents agreed that AI is "very different from the technological advancements that came before, and threatens to harm humans and society."
Six in ten of those polled believe AI "will reduce the need for humans to perform important or creative tasks," with only 38% believing "it will mostly handle mundane tasks, freeing humans to do higher-impact work."
Almost two-thirds of participants said they will resist using AI for as long as possible – a task that could prove difficult as employers invest in the technology – which will in turn drive up demand for electricity and fossil fuels. – dpa/Tribune News Service
