By Louise Du Toit
Publication Date: 2026-04-02 10:55:00
More than 200 laws regulating AI have been developed in more than 100 countries. Many of them focus on issues such as privacy, bias, disinformation, security and cybersecurity rather than the environmental consequences of AI.
AI is an energy-intensive and thirsty industry. This leads to enormous greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution and loss of nature. These impacts are partly due to the production and use of energy-, carbon-, and water-intensive “complex computer chips,” called graphics processing units (GPUs), for training AI models, as well as increasing e-waste.
My research into regulatory responses to AI in the EU and UK shows that laws often ignore the environmental impact of this major technology. The lack of strong commitments in AI legislation and policy is worrying.
There are environmental impacts at all stages of the AI lifecycle. From the production of AI hardware, the training of AI models, the deployment and use of AI to the disposal of…
