Student protesters confront NVIDIA executive over AIs climate impact

New DelhiSep 27, 2026 08:49 PM IST The demonstration comes as the rapid expansion of AI has intensified scrutiny of the environmental costs of data centres (Image source: @sunrisemvmt/X)Student protesters disrupted a panel discussion on artificial intelligence and climate change at Climate Week NYC on September 23. They challenged the technology industry’s environmental record and raised questions about the use of AI-related technology in Israel. Videos shared by the Sunrise Movement showed demonstrators confronting panel participants. One protester accused corporations and data centres of contributing to climate damage, while another questioned NVIDIA’s sustainability claims and cited an emissions figure of 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. Watch here: The video quickly gained traction, drawing many reactions. “I absolutely adore this generation of students; even if you don’t believe everything they do, you can’t deny their passion, drive and intent. I’m a proud educator,” an Instagram user wrote. “Sometimes, brave is speaking the truth even if it scares you … So proud of them, more power to them,” another user commented. “Brilliant!!! Treating environmental cost as collateral damage and then preaching sustainability about it needs to be called out,” a third user reacted. The demonstration comes as the rapid expansion of AI has intensified scrutiny of data centres’ environmental costs. The Sunrise Movement said the protest aimed to challenge corporate “greenwashing”. In a post on X, the group criticised Climate Week organisers for inviting AI executives to speak on climate issues and said young activists had been confronting technology executives throughout the week. The disruption comes amid a broader debate at Climate Week over the environmental consequences of the AI boom. While technology companies have promoted AI as a potential tool for improving energy efficiency and addressing climate challenges, environmental activists have increasingly focused on the electricity, water and emissions associated with the data centre infrastructure needed to run increasingly powerful AI systems.