Leaner, Greener and Meaner: Sustainability Commitments in the Age of AI

For London Climate Action Week, Shared Planet is bringing together experts on AI and sustainability and leaders from civil society and the private sector to convene a conversation on how organisations can navigate the tension between AI use and sustainability goals and targets. The webinar will provide best practice examples and use cases of how AI can be responsibly and sustainably governed.

In the digital age, organisations are looking to harness the potential of AI and navigate the transformative power of new technologies. From NGOs to mega-multinational corporations to academic institutions, new and emerging AI use cases are redefining the status quo and reshaping the way we work. For impact-oriented organisations, these opportunities could mean greater efficiency, optimisation and amplified impact and reach.

The adoption of AI has more than doubled in the last five years and with generative AI and open-source platforms democratising public use — and there’s no indication this will slow down any time soon. However, the environmental impact of AI is impossible to ignore. AI requires vast amounts of computing power, water and energy. By 2030, the IEA forecasts global AI use may require as much energy as Japan.

As organisations grapple with growing interest, potential adoption and the seeming inevitability of AI in the workplace, it’s important to ensure alignment with existing sustainability goals and net-zero and nature-positive commitments. Embracing innovation while mitigating environmental harm and contributing to global climate and nature goals requires ongoing conversation, a principled approach and a commitment to change.

This webinar will explore the following themes:

> Sustainable AI Governance: What it takes to create sustainable AI policies and frameworks and how to integrate AI considerations into sustainability goals
> Net-Zero AI Commitments: How to align AI adoption and investments with net-zero and nature-positive commitments, science-based targets and ESG requirements
> Best Practices: Real-world examples of how organisations have implemented and adopted AI with sustainability in mind

Speakers include:
Devorah West — Devorah West supports leaders as they harness today’s technological revolution to reduce carbon emissions and tackle the consequences of the climate crisis. She is a senior policy advisor for climate and energy policy at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. Through her specialist knowledge of climate finance, scaling technology and innovation ecosystems, Devorah provides clear roadmaps that leverage the opportunities of the clean-energy transition – including work to scale up pipelines of climate-focused, investment-ready projects across emerging markets and developing countries. Prior to joining TBI, she worked as a policy advisor to Gayle Smith, former administrator for the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and current CEO of the ONE Campaign.

Zung Nguyen — Zung Nguyen is a product leader and design strategist with over a decade of experience building digital solutions for climate, sustainability, and public impact. Currently at UNDP, she leads a global portfolio of open-source tools supporting governments with carbon markets, climate transparency, and nature-based solutions. Her work bridges policy and technology, with a focus on scalable infrastructure, inclusive design, and real-world adoption.

Mia Speier — Mia Speier is a consultant working on digital rights and new technologies. She leads the Digital Resilience practice at Shared Planet, a social impact consultancy based in London, on projects related to online platform safety, responsible AI and digital safeguarding. Her client work is on the intersection of responsible technology and environmental and social justice, and she has worked on projects with Oxfam, WWF-UK, Mars Inc., City Harvest and more. She is dedicated to making digital spaces more fair, free and healthy. She was formerly a Shirley Scholar from the University of Oxford, where she earned an Master of Science in the Social Science of the Internet. Her research focused on media integrity and digital policy at the Oxford Internet Institute and she wrote her dissertation on the Ukrainian free press and Twitter (‘X’) amid conflict. Mia also holds a Master of Public Diplomacy from the University of Southern California.