Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 8 hrs ago
Environmental groups use AI while warning of data center costs
Environmental groups are using AI to study climate data, track fires and monitor endangered wildlife.
Conservation International uses it to assess satellite-detected hotspots and alert forest patrols to possible wildfires in remote parts of Cambodia.
In Kenya, Save the Elephants uses AI to analyze wildlife images and study elephant communication.
The group says AI can review in hours images that took nine people nine months to check manually, and past human surveys missed many animals.
Data centers powering AI use electricity and water and can add greenhouse-gas emissions, a concern shared by all 15 major organizations interviewed about their AI use.
The International Energy Agency estimates data centers could use about 945 terawatt-hours of electricity each year by 2030, roughly double current use.
At COP31, Turkey will seek a pledge for sustainable AI, while the U.N. secretary-general has called for major AI companies to disclose their systems’ environmental impacts.
Environmental groups are using artificial intelligence to analyze climate data, track wildfires and monitor endangered wildlife, while warning that the technology can increase electricity use, water consumption and emissions.
All 15 major environmental, conservation and development organizations interviewed by Reuters said they used AI and were concerned about data centers’ environmental impact.
Conservation International recently began using AI to assess satellite-detected hotspots and alert community forest patrols to potential wildfires in Cambodia.
Save the Elephants uses machine learning to improve wildlife surveys and study elephant communication.
The International Energy Agency estimates data centers could consume about 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030.
- Who
- Environmental, conservation and development organizations, including Conservation International and Save the Elephants.
- What
- They are using AI for environmental work while warning about the resource use and emissions of the data centers that power it.
- When
- The article was published on November 9, 2026. Conservation International recently started using AI for wildfire alerts.
- Where
- The organizations operate worldwide; the examples include Cambodia and Kenya.
- Why
- AI can help organizations analyze information and carry out conservation work faster, but its data centers use electricity and water and produce greenhouse-gas emissions.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
An aerial survey of Kenya’s largest protected area produced roughly 200,000 images that took nine people nine months to review manually.
Conservation International started using AI to assess satellite-detected hotspots and send wildfire alerts to community forest patrols in Cambodia.
Turkey is due to call on governments, businesses and other institutions at COP31 to sign a pledge on sustainable AI development and deployment.
- Organizations interviewed
- 15 major environmental, conservation and development organizations said they use AI.
- Cambodia
- Conservation International uses AI to assess satellite hotspots and alert community forest patrols to potential wildfires.
- 2017 survey
- Roughly 200,000 images took nine people nine months to review manually.
- Data-center electricity
- The International Energy Agency estimates annual global use could reach about 945 terawatt-hours by 2030.
- Data-center water
- The International Energy Agency projects annual global consumption could rise from about 560 billion liters in 2023 to about 1.2 trillion liters by 2030.
What people are saying
We recognize that AI can come with environmental costs, and we need to be thoughtful about how we use it
But at a time when the climate and biodiversity crises are becoming more urgent, AI can help us move faster and make better use of the information we're collecting.
The results have been eye-opening
We found that human surveys were missing about a third of the elephants, roughly half of zebras and giraffes, and three-quarters of oryx populations.