As the digital revolution accelerates, it’s urgent to prepare for a sustainable impact

There is no doubt about it: the digital revolution is accelerating. If we use—and use well—the tools this revolution is bringing, we can slow the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste. Developing nations could also benefit, with faster, cleaner and more prosperous development pathways to deliver long-term sustainable development.

This is an exciting time, but one we must get right. At the Summit of the Future , AI will be under the spotlight as countries recognise the need for the world to carefully consider the environmental impacts of digital technologies to ensure these costs do not outweigh the benefits. And as I hope that the world has learned from our climate failures and our climate procrastination, prevention is not only better, but also a lot easier than the cure.?That means that the environmental dimension of AI cannot be an afterthought.

Why? Because we know that technologies such as AI impact the environment, from mining to emissions, from water consumption to E-waste—all with issues of injustice deeply entrenched. It is clear we need much more research to understand these impacts fully, particularly in the Global South. To help address this, UNEP has published an Issues Note on the Environmental Impacts of AI , including recommendations to help ensure that AI works for people and the planet.

As the publication shows, AI produces significant greenhouse gas emissions. Data centres needed for AI are drawing more power, at a time when almost 800 million people still lack access to electricity. Meanwhile, the need for cooling may lead to water use equivalent to half of the UK’s by 2027. This demand comes as close to two billion people lack access to adequate water and sanitation today.

There are also serious impacts from the extraction of critical minerals and metals vital to AI chips and the energy transition: water and air contamination, the degradation of indigenous people’s lands, and the loss or displacement of biodiversity, including species such as Great Apes.

To help address these challenges, the Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals recently released seven voluntary principles designed to transform mineral value chains by putting human rights, justice, equity and environmental protection at the forefront.

The reality is that we, as a civilisation, must now invest in a sustainable supply of minerals and metals to drive the digital transformation and energy transition. And the reality is also that these minerals and metals are indeed a huge opportunity for many nations to increase revenues for sustainable development—but only if they break exploitative colonial patterns and ensure value addition is done at home.

However, since ramping up unsustainable mining would further damage the environment, and exhaust supplies, we need to approach the sector with clear-headedness, not with a mind clouded by a gold rush fever type approach.

We need to develop solid policies on environmental stewardship and circularity equity and justice. Currently, only?around 1% of rare earth elements are recycled and just 22% of e-waste is recycled and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Circularity is key to address this issue.

Before we start, we need to have clear environmental management in place. Circularity policies in place. Justice in place. Transparency on the deals in place. Revenue management in place. The bottom line is that investment in “value addition” and in recovery of materials from circularity will be critical to expand economic and labour opportunities.

So, the international community must tread carefully rather than blindly rush forward. Governments, international organizations, and the private sector must unite under the Global Digital Compact. By working together, equitable access to digital technologies can be achieved, while minimizing the environmental impacts. These technologies can then be used to create economic growth and sustainability on a healthy planet that supports us all.