시민단체 “정부 ‘COP31 AI 서약’ 동참…데이터센터 규제 도입” 촉구

Citizen groups have urged the Korean government to participate in the "Alicante AI Pledge" at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31). The pledge, initiated during the meeting in Trtükiye on September 9, aims to improve the power and water efficiency of data centers and raise awareness about the environmental impact of artificial intelligence.

The Green Transition Institute, Participation Alliance, and Environmental Justice jointly released a statement emphasizing that the Korean government should take note of the pledge and implement regulations to mitigate climate and environmental impacts. The pledge calls for increasing the share of low-carbon power for data centers, improving energy and water efficiency from the design stage, and measuring and publicly disclosing the environmental impact of artificial intelligence.

According to the International Energy Agency, global data center electricity consumption increased by 17% last year compared to the previous year, and the power consumption of AI-specialized data centers rose by 50% during the same period. Failing to supply renewable energy to data centers could lead to a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The three organizations criticized the government for continuing to streamline data center permits and loosening regulations despite the growing environmental concerns. They also pointed out that the government has not yet implemented measures for energy-efficient management of data center electricity demand and the promotion of renewable energy, despite promising to do so in the seventh Energy Use Rationalization Basic Plan and the Korean Artificial Intelligence Action Plan.