3 Ways Policymakers Can Guide AI for a Greener Europe
Introduction
Last month, Google released its AI Opportunity for Europe’s Climate Goals white paper, outlining how European leaders can harness AI to drive both climate progress and economic competitiveness. Having explored these issues from a business lens during my own research last year, it was striking to see similar challenges reflected from a policy perspective. Europe’s climate goals are bold, and rightly so. But reaching net-zero by 2050 will take more than regulation; it requires smart, scalable tech like AI.
While the private sector is inching forward, though often more quietly than before, governments now have a critical role to play in ensuring AI is deployed responsibly and effectively. The good news? We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Much of the groundwork is already there if we’re willing to build on it.
Three Policy Priorities for Sustainable AI in Europe
To unlock AI’s potential in accelerating climate action, Europe must first align its digital growth with sustainability goals. This section explores three critical enablers: powering AI with clean electricity, unlocking high-value public data, and building the right skills across sectors. Together, they form the foundation of a future-ready, climate-aligned digital ecosystem.
1. Green the Grid: Powering AI with Clean Energy
AI’s climate potential is double-edged. While it can help optimize energy usage and emissions reductions, it also requires significant computing power—which consumes electricity. If that power comes from fossil fuels, AI’s environmental benefits could be neutralized or worse.
The EU is already addressing this with plans to rate the sustainability of data centres and promote hourly carbon-free energy matching. But more must be done to align AI growth with grid decarbonization.
What policymakers can do:
Policymakers should incentivize data centres to adopt 24/7 carbon-free power by enabling market tools like hourly Power Purchase Agreements and granular Guarantees of Origin that match clean energy supply with real-time demand.
Streamline permitting for clean energy development to support the energy demand tied to digital infrastructure so that it aids infrastructure development rather than hinders it
Require transparency in AI model energy usage as part of broader sustainability disclosures.
A greener AI ecosystem begins with clean electricity. Policymakers don’t need to create new programs—they need to reinforce existing energy reforms with digital foresight.
2. Build with What You Have: Make Public Data AI-Ready
AI needs data like engines need fuel.
Yet one of my findings, which was also captured in the report, was that many public datasets— whether on climate, building efficiency, transport demand, soil quality, or energy use—remain locked behind bureaucratic silos, fragmented formats, or outdated governance. So much so, that the ability to merge these sets and use them for insights remained challenging.
Instead of launching brand-new data platforms, the EU can unlock immense value by opening and standardizing what it already collects. Public agencies and municipalities are sitting on troves of climate-relevant data, from national housing stock energy labels to satellite data from the Copernicus program. Sometimes unaware of what they have and the value it holds.
What policymakers can do:
Mandate interoperability standards for public datasets across Member States.
Increase the transparency of datasets generated through national projects to help improve (re)use of this publicly collected data by the private sector and other government entities. This may include the energy labels of national housing stock or on parking demand gathered by municipal authorities.
If AI is the engine of climate intelligence, better data is the fuel. Europe doesn’t need more data, it needs better data infrastructure.
3. Upskill at Scale: Align Talent Development with Green AI Goals
One of my findings when researching climate AI data for business resilience found that leadership professionals without a STEM background were nervous around the topic of climate change. Yet it's clear that without skilled professionals able to understand both the science and the data the ability to deploy and govern AI, digital climate solutions will stall. The EU’s twin transitions—digital and green—must be reflected in the education and up-skilling agendas of today.
Whilst there have been some training efforts to train public officials in AI use we now need to go deeper: to build a workforce that speaks both climate and code.
What policymakers can do:
Launch a European Academy for Skills for the Clean Economy, with micro-credentials for AI and sustainability specializations.
Embed green AI modules in STEM and vocational education across Member States, such that qualifications obtained are recognized by the EU
Incentivize public-private skilling partnerships, particularly in hard-to-decarbonize sectors.
This isn’t about teaching everyone to code. It’s about giving energy managers, planners, and sustainability officers the tools to use AI effectively. The skills gap is solvable, but only if we act now.
This TED talk from last year, also captures my points above:
Conclusion
Europe doesn’t need to start from scratch to make AI a cornerstone of its climate future. Policymakers already have the tools—they just need to scale and sharpen them. By greening the energy that powers AI, unlocking public data for innovation, and preparing people to use these tools wisely, Europe can guide AI development in ways that serve both the planet and the economy. The roadmap exists. Now is the time to walk it. With urgency, alignment, and a commitment to build on what works, policymakers can transform AI from a promising technology into a climate action powerhouse.
