From The Verge · Justine Calma · · 3m
Nvidia's hidden climate cost
Jensen Huang's company has become an environmental liability as its supply chain emissions soared 725 percent since 2020.
In brief
Jensen Huang's company has become an environmental liability as its supply chain emissions soared 725 percent since 2020. Nvidia's supply chain emissions grew 725 percent since 2020 to 10.7 million metric tons of CO2 in fiscal year 2026, with indirect emissions potentially reaching 21 million metric tons, as…
Nvidia's environmental reckoning
Under Jensen Huang, Nvidia became the engine for the AI boom and one of tech's biggest environmental liabilities. Its chips triggered water-intensive factories, drained power grids, and created a looming e-waste problem.
Huang talked climate while emissions soared
Huang promoted AI as a tool to fight climate change while Nvidia's supply chain emissions ballooned. The company clashed with environmental groups seeking accountability for its hidden emissions.
Greenpeace demands new direction
After Huang's resignation, Greenpeace urged interim CEO Colette Kress to commit Nvidia to decarbonizing by investing in renewable energy and ensuring technology respects human rights.
Huang's AI optimism on climate
In September, Huang told The Ezra Klein Show that AI offers the best opportunity to fight climate change, arguing electricity demand for AI is leading companies to buy sustainable energy.
“If you want to turn a corner on climate change, if you want a future that's sustainable, lean into A.I.”
But fossil fuels remain necessary
Huang admitted data centers will rely on more fossil fuels in the near term and that building AI infrastructure will likely result in an enormous amount of pain and suffering.
“to cut you open to save you”
Supply chain emissions up 725 percent
Nvidia's supply chain emissions grew 725 percent since 2020, an increase of about 9.4 million metric tons of planet-heating pollution, according to analysis by Ketan Joshi and environmental organizations published in September.
Fiscal year 2026 emissions reached 10.7 million metric tons
Nvidia's supply chain emissions for fiscal year 2026 reached around 10.7 million metric tons of CO2, according to the company's latest sustainability report.
Indirect emissions could reach 21 million metric tons
Joshi and co-authors estimated greenhouse gas pollution from chip use could have reached 21 million metric tons in 2025, putting Nvidia on par with Russia's state-owned coal company.
Nvidia's own operations emit far less
Nvidia's directly operated facilities and vehicles emitted only 9,822 metric tons in fiscal year 2026 because the company designs chips while TSMC manufactures them.
Greenpeace wants supply chain accountability
Greenpeace wants Nvidia to extend its clean energy goal to its entire manufacturing supply chain. When activists disrupted Huang's speech at Nvidia GTC in Berlin last month, he said he would talk to them later.
Huang's legacy of tech colonialism
Katrin Wu, Big Tech campaigner at Greenpeace International, said Huang's defining legacy is inflating a speculative AI bubble and pouring billions into infrastructure with little regard for real-world consequences on communities and climate.
“Huang may be gone, but the 'tech colonialism' Nvidia perpetuates continues.”
New leadership will determine Nvidia's path
Whether Nvidia's environmental footprint shrinks or expands depends on whoever replaces Huang. Data centers increasingly face backlash from nearby communities, and Nvidia can no longer hide from public scrutiny.
What it means
Nvidia's supply chain emissions grew 725 percent since 2020 to 10.7 million metric tons of CO2 in fiscal year 2026, with indirect emissions potentially reaching 21 million metric tons, as environmental groups urge new leadership to prioritize climate responsibility.
