Guidelines by field
AI guidelines on environment and energy what the field's own bodies ask
The environmental field is still at the measurement stage. There is broad agreement that AI's footprint should be counted, across training, use, hardware and buildings, but not yet on how. Standards bodies and the EU are building the methods now.
Last reviewed 27 October 2026. Every claim links to its source.
At a glance
Measure the whole life cycle
Training, use, hardware and data centers, not just one query.
Report comparably
With a stated method.
Ask whether AI is needed at all
Compare it with a lower-resource option first.
Watch the rebound
More efficient AI can lead to more total use and more total impact.
Make only verifiable claims
And remember water as well as electricity.
Who has spoken
- Binding law, regulation, court ruling or enforceable professional rule
- Voluntary guidance, principles or a code an organization chooses to follow
Binding Since Aug 2025
European Union
AI Act, Annex XI
Providers of general-purpose models must document computing used for training and the model's known or estimated energy consumption. The Commission is consulting on a measurement method.
Binding Since 2024
European Union
Data-center reporting under Regulation 2024/1364
Data centers with at least 500 kW of IT power report energy, water, renewables and waste heat every year.
Voluntary Jul 2025
ISO and IEC
TR 20226:2025, environmental sustainability aspects of AI systems
A technical report on life-cycle aspects: resources, carbon, pollution, waste and location.
Voluntary Dec 2025
Green Software Foundation
Software Carbon Intensity for AI
A specification for measuring AI emissions in both training and use.
Voluntary 2024; updated Sep 2026
AFNOR (France)
Spec 2314, Frugal AI
A life-cycle method and 31 best-practice guides, beginning with whether AI is needed at all.
Voluntary May 2026
G7
Overview of initiatives for measuring AI's energy and resource use
Maps the competing measurement methods, which make companies' per-prompt figures hard to compare.
Known or estimated energy consumption of the model.
Binding and voluntary
Binding
EU documentation duties for general-purpose model providers and EU data-center reporting. No US federal requirement to disclose AI energy or water use was found.
Voluntary
ISO/IEC TR 20226, SCI for AI, AFNOR's Frugal AI and companies' own disclosures.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- International standards bodies published their first AI-specific environmental documents (July and December 2025).
- The G7 began mapping measurement methods in May 2026, and the EU started work on an official method for general-purpose models.
- Some companies began publishing per-prompt figures, such as Google's 0.24 Wh for a median text prompt, which are self-reported and hard to compare.
Questions to ask yourself
- Does this task need AI, or would a search, a template or my own draft do?
- Am I generating many versions I will throw away?
- When a company tells me its AI is "green", what method and scope sit behind the number?
How this lines up with my everyday guidelines
| My everyday guidelines | The field's nearest rule |
|---|---|
The Shared Ethic: Use energy with intention. | Ask first whether AI is needed, and measure the whole life cycle (AFNOR; ISO). Energy is not part of my everyday guidelines; the Shared Ethic covers it. |
6. Stay curious and critical Question outputs. AI can be confident and wrong. | Make only verifiable environmental claims (AFNOR). |
4. Use for good Make sure uses align with your values and professional ethics. | Sustainability and environmental health as a core value (UNESCO). |