How can humanity harness the potential of artificial intelligence without allowing its growing energy consumption to undermine global climate commitments? This question lies at the heart of the Antalya AI Pledge, a voluntary initiative proposed by Türkiye that recognises both sides of AI’s climate story and highlights a growing challenge confronting the international climate community.
On one hand, artificial intelligence can improve climate monitoring, strengthen early warning systems, support renewable energy integration and make environmental decision-making more effective. On the other, the expansion of data centres, computing infrastructure and energy-intensive AI applications is increasing electricity demand. Among the proposed commitments are greater transparency regarding the energy consumption and environmental impacts of AI providers, alongside encouraging data centres to operate using clean electricity.
The initiative also envisages possible targets and voluntary commitments, with participating countries and organisations expected to review progress at the following climate summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The World Resources Institute has similarly emphasised the need for effective accountability mechanisms to ensure that governments and technology companies translate their promises into measurable action.
Ultimately, the success of the Antalya AI Pledge will depend not simply on how many countries endorse it, but on whether it delivers tangible progress towards cleaner energy, greater transparency and environmentally responsible technological development.
However, questions remain about participation, implementation and accountability. While environmental experts have welcomed the overall direction of the initiative, they caution that voluntary commitments alone may not be sufficient to deliver meaningful environmental progress.
AI for Climate Change: The Antalya AI Pledge – Technology Meets Climate Responsibility
Imagine a world where artificial intelligence can predict devastating floods before they strike, identify areas vulnerable to landslides, monitor disappearing glaciers, detect changes in forests and help communities prepare for climate-related disasters. What once seemed like science fiction is increasingly becoming a practical possibility. Artificial intelligence (AI), combined with satellite observations, geospatial technologies and advanced climate modelling, is opening new possibilities for understanding environmental changes and responding to the growing threats of global warming.
Yet, there is an uncomfortable contradiction behind this technological transformation. While AI offers powerful tools for addressing climate change, the enormous energy demands of data centres and computing infrastructure are creating additional environmental pressures. The technology designed to help protect the planet could also contribute to the very crisis it is expected to address.
This complicated relationship is now attracting international attention as Türkiye prepares to introduce the Antalya AI Pledge at the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, in Antalya. The initiative seeks to encourage countries, technology companies, financial institutions and environmental organisations to use artificial intelligence responsibly while reducing its environmental footprint.
The Hidden Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence may operate in the digital world, but its environmental footprint is very real. Behind every sophisticated AI application lies an extensive physical infrastructure of servers, processors, cooling systems and data centres.
These facilities require enormous amounts of electricity to process information, train AI models and maintain uninterrupted operations. As technology companies race to expand their AI capabilities, electricity demand is increasing. In some regions, particularly the United States, the rapid development of data centres is encouraging investment in additional fossil-fuel-based electricity generation, including natural gas power plants.
According to BloombergNEF projections cited in recent reporting, data centres’ share of global energy consumption is expected to more than double by 2030. This expansion raises serious environmental concerns. When electricity comes from coal, oil or natural gas, the growing digital economy can contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and additional pressure on energy resources.
There is also the question of water consumption. Many data centres depend on water-intensive cooling systems to prevent equipment from overheating. In regions already experiencing water stress, this can create additional competition for freshwater resources.
The challenge, therefore, is not to reject artificial intelligence but to ensure that its development follows a more sustainable path. Cleaner electricity, energy-efficient computing, responsible water management and transparent environmental reporting must become essential elements of the AI industry.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Combat Climate Change
Despite its environmental costs, artificial intelligence has enormous potential to strengthen global climate action. Its ability to analyse vast datasets, identify patterns and generate predictions can help scientists, policymakers and communities respond to environmental threats more effectively.
1. Strengthening Climate Monitoring and Prediction
Climate systems are complex, involving interactions between the atmosphere, oceans, forests, glaciers and human activities. AI can analyse enormous quantities of climate observations and satellite imagery to identify environmental changes that might otherwise remain difficult to detect. These capabilities can improve weather forecasting, monitor temperature variations, track changing rainfall patterns and help researchers understand emerging climate risks.
2. Improving Disaster Early Warning Systems
One of the most valuable applications of AI is its potential to strengthen disaster preparedness. Floods, landslides, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), droughts and extreme weather events threaten millions of people around the world.
AI-powered systems can combine satellite observations, rainfall data, river conditions and geographical information to identify areas facing increased risks. Better predictions can provide authorities with valuable time to issue warnings, evacuate vulnerable communities and organise emergency responses.
3. Protecting Forests and Biodiversity
Forests are among nature’s most important allies against climate change. They absorb carbon dioxide, regulate local climates, protect watersheds and provide habitats for countless species. AI-assisted satellite monitoring can help detect deforestation, identify forest degradation, monitor vegetation changes and support biodiversity conservation. By analysing changes in land cover and forest conditions, these technologies can help environmental authorities identify illegal activities and prioritise conservation and restoration efforts.
4. Supporting Renewable Energy
Artificial intelligence can also make renewable energy systems more efficient. Solar and wind power depend on changing weather conditions. AI-based forecasting can predict variations in sunlight and wind availability, helping electricity operators balance supply and demand. Smart energy systems can also improve electricity distribution, reduce wastage and support the integration of renewable energy into national grids.
5. Strengthening Water Resource Management
Water scarcity is becoming an increasingly serious challenge in many parts of the world. AI can help monitor groundwater levels, predict water demand, identify irrigation inefficiencies and improve the management of reservoirs and river systems. In countries facing irregular rainfall, glacier-related risks and growing pressure on freshwater resources, these applications could make an important contribution to climate resilience.
Pakistan Explores the Potential of GeoAI and Space Technology
The discussion about AI and climate action is particularly important for Pakistan, a country highly vulnerable to climate-related disasters. From devastating floods and prolonged heatwaves to glacier retreat, changing rainfall patterns, droughts and landslides, Pakistan faces a range of interconnected environmental challenges. The need for reliable climate information, effective early warning systems and informed disaster management has never been greater.
An important step towards addressing these challenges was reflected in the UN/Pakistan International Conference on Leveraging Space Technology for Early Warning for All (EW4All), Climate Action and Disaster Risk Assessment, hosted by Pakistan’s Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO).
During the conference’s fourth day, attention turned towards innovation, youth participation and practical applications of emerging technologies. National and international experts, researchers, academics and young professionals explored how artificial intelligence, geospatial technologies and satellite observations could contribute to climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. The technical sessions highlighted several promising developments.
Presentations explored the role of UN-SPIDER in the United Nations’ Early Warning for All initiative, responsible and ethical applications of GeoAI, AI-driven multi-hazard risk assessment, climate-related health analysis and emerging agentic AI applications for proactive early warning. Researchers also presented work on satellite-based earthquake precursor research and innovative tools for assessing building damage.
The youth-led research session was equally significant. Young professionals presented studies covering satellite-based landslide assessment, snow-cover changes and GLOF risks in the Hunza Basin, streamflow prediction in data-scarce regions, AI-driven flood management and climate-resilient settlement recovery.
Other research areas included urban subsidence monitoring, decentralised early warning systems, climate variability and estimation of above-ground forest biomass using LiDAR and machine learning. These developments demonstrate how technology can turn environmental observations into practical information for decision-making. For a country such as Pakistan, where vulnerable mountain communities often face limited access to reliable forecasts and timely disaster information, these applications could prove particularly valuable.
Space Technology and the Paris Climate Agreement
Another important dimension of the conference was a panel discussion titled Paris Climate Change Agreement – How Space Can Help in Its Realization. Experts from Pakistan and China discussed how satellite-based observations, geospatial intelligence and space-enabled technologies could support climate commitments, environmental monitoring, informed policymaking and sustainable development.
Satellite technology is becoming increasingly important in understanding environmental changes that cannot be adequately monitored through ground-based observations alone. It can help track glacier movements, monitor deforestation, assess land degradation, observe changing water bodies and measure the impacts of extreme weather events. These observations can also strengthen the scientific foundation of climate policies and help governments evaluate their progress towards international environmental commitments.
Conference participants also visited the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to learn about institutional arrangements, operational capabilities and the role of technology in disaster preparedness, response and risk management. The engagement highlighted an important principle: technological innovation becomes meaningful when scientific knowledge, government institutions and local communities work together.
The Need for Responsible and Sustainable AI
The growing relationship between artificial intelligence and climate action presents humanity with both an opportunity and a responsibility. AI cannot replace effective environmental policies, international cooperation or the urgent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Nor can sophisticated computer models compensate for continued destruction of forests, unsustainable consumption of natural resources and dependence on fossil fuels.
Technology must complement, rather than replace, nature-based solutions and responsible environmental management. The Antalya AI Pledge could provide an important opportunity to establish a common direction for climate-conscious technological development.
However, its real value will depend on transparency, measurable commitments and accountability. Technology companies must disclose the environmental impacts of their operations. Governments should encourage clean energy-powered data centres and energy-efficient computing.
Researchers must continue exploring ways to make AI less resource-intensive while improving contribution to environmental protection. Developing countries like Pakistan need access to technological knowledge, research capacity, reliable data and financial support to ensure benefits of AI are not limited to wealthy nations.
Conclusion: Artificial Intelligence Must Work with Nature
Artificial intelligence is transforming how humanity understands and responds to environmental challenges. From predicting floods and monitoring glaciers to protecting forests and improving renewable energy systems, its potential contribution to climate action is substantial.
Yet, the future of this technology must not be measured solely by computing power, commercial growth or technological sophistication. Its success should also be judged by how effectively it protects ecosystems, conserves natural resources and improves human resilience. The Antalya AI Pledge offers an opportunity to recognise this responsibility at the international level. But promises must translate into practical action.
Ultimately, artificial intelligence should become an instrument of environmental responsibility, not another source of ecological pressure. The real achievement will be a future in which technological progress and nature’s protection advance together. After all, the planet does not need technology that simply makes humanity more powerful. It needs technology that makes humanity more responsible.
