---
title: 'AI and the Environment: Balancing Demands, Challenges, and Opportunities'
subtitle: 'Environmental Law Institute People, Places and Planet Podcast, Season 7 Episode 4'
slug: 'eli-podcast-s7e4-ai-and-environment'
date: 2024-12-18
type: 'speech'
status: 'published'
tags: ['enviroai', 'podcast', 'eli']
abstract: 'Conversation on AI''s role in environmental compliance, the demands data centers place on clean energy, and the opportunities AI creates for environmental protection.'
license: 'CC-BY-4.0'
author: 'Jed Anderson'
co_authors: []
canonical_url: 'https://jedanderson.org/speeches/eli-podcast-s7e4-ai-and-environment'
external_url: 'https://www.eli.org/podcasts/ai-and-environment-balancing-demands-challenges-and-opportunities'
supporting_files: []
host_org: 'Environmental Law Institute'
host_url: 'https://www.eli.org'
audio_embed: 'https://share.transistor.fm/e/ai-and-the-environment'
---

Episode features Jed Anderson in conversation with Bob Sussman, a seasoned environmental lawyer and former senior EPA official. Hosted by Dara Albrecht. The discussion covers data-center energy demand, the climate risks of AI's electricity footprint, AI as a real-time regulatory instrument, and the empowerment of under-resourced communities.

Listen on the [Environmental Law Institute podcast page](https://www.eli.org/podcasts/ai-and-environment-balancing-demands-challenges-and-opportunities).