AI holds enormous potential to benefit the environment, but it simultaneously consumes massive amounts of water and energy. One generative AI data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water a day, and AI as a whole draws as much power as 100,000 households. A single AI query can use up to 1,000 times more electricity than a traditional Google search. The result is an urgent paradox: AI is becoming one of the most sophisticated tools ever built to combat climate change, yet it is also one of the fastest-growing strains on the planet’s resources.