As Türkiye’s COP31 Presidency puts the energy footprint of artificial intelligence (AI) on the agenda of this year’s UN Climate Summit in Antalya, new GlobeScan research shows that the public in Europe and North America are markedly more worried than the rest of the world about what AI will mean for energy and the climate. Across 34 markets, people are cautious about its implications for energy consumption and the environment.
The findings come as the COP31 Presidency advances the Antalya Pledge on Artificial Intelligence, a voluntary initiative that aims to harness AI’s potential for climate action while addressing the rising energy and water demands of data centers, and that calls on companies to be transparent about their energy use and to power their operations with clean energy.
People in Western countries tend to be the most concerned that AI will have a negative impact on energy consumption; in Canada, the United States and in seven of the nine European markets surveyed, more people expect AI to have a negative than a positive impact on energy consumption, as well as in Argentina and Colombia. Canadians are the most pessimistic (51% negative vs 32% positive), followed by the French (44% vs 31%), Italians (43% vs 29%), and Germans (42% vs 32%), while Americans also lean negative (42% vs 38%). By contrast, majorities in Nigeria (78% positive), the UAE (65%), Egypt (63%), China (62%), Kenya (60%), and India (60%) expect AI to have a positive impact on energy consumption, as do just over half (51%) in the host country, Türkiye.
Views on AI’s impact on environmental problems and climate change are somewhat more favorable globally, with twice as many expecting AI to help as to harm. Optimism is strongest in Africa / Middle East and Asia, where clear majorities in Nigeria (78% positive), the UAE (65%), Egypt (64%), Kenya (64%), China (64%), Vietnam (64%) and India (60%) expect AI to have a positive impact on environmental problems and climate change, as do over half (52%) in the host country, Türkiye. Yet optimism is much thinner in the West. Negative expectations outweigh positive ones in Canada (39% vs 31%), Italy (34% vs 26%), France (34% vs 29%), and Sweden (34% vs 29%), while opinion is close to evenly split in the USA (38% positive vs 35% negative), the UK (36% vs 33%) and the Netherlands (33% vs 32%).
These publics are not necessarily rejecting AI – they are asking for guardrails as nearly nine in ten (88%) worldwide want stronger regulations on AI. Clear rules, transparency on energy and water use, and a credible commitment to clean power will be essential if governments and companies want to maintain public consent for the AI build-out, not least in the communities being asked to host data centers. Antalya is an important opportunity to show whether AI and climate goals can advance together.
CEO of GlobeScan
Read more about global public opinion on the perceived risks and benefits of AI, and who should be responsible for its development and use, in our report Navigating AI’s Future.
GlobeScan’s global public opinion research program of evidence and insights helps influential organizations understand their material issues, societal trends, and public expectations.
This research consists of comparative and representative online surveys conducted in 2026 across 34 countries and territories, generally with 1,000 respondents per market (500 each in Hong Kong, Kenya, Nigeria, and Singapore and 1,500 in China and in the USA), and draws on more than 25 years of global longitudinal research. The study includes Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Global figures are averages of 34 markets. Questions on AI regulation and data centers were not asked in Ukraine.
GlobeScan is an insights and advisory firm specializing in trust, sustainability, and engagement. We equip clients with insights to navigate shifting societal and stakeholder expectations, crafting evidence-based strategies that reduce risks and create value for their organizations and society.
Established in 1987, we have offices in Cape Town, Dubai, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, London, Paris, San Francisco, São Paulo, Singapore, Tokyo, and Toronto. GlobeScan is a participant of the UN Global Compact and a Certified B Corporation.
