On 9 November 2026, the day COP31 opened in Antalya, Aiwalay founder Syed Husnain Haider Bukhari spoke on a COP31 virtual panel on Climate Justice, Sustainable Finance and the Future of AI. Alongside speakers on climate justice and finance, he gave the AI perspective: what AI really costs the climate, where it genuinely helps, and who it is built for.
The message: a tool and a load
"AI is both a climate tool and a climate load, and justice decides which one it becomes," Husnain told the panel. Data centres used about 1.5% of the world's electricity in 2024, and the International Energy Agency expects that to roughly double by 2030, with AI the main driver. At the same time, AI now powers flood forecasting in more than 100 countries, balances solar and wind grids and can deliver advice by voice in local languages.
What it means for how we build
The panel reflected how we already work with clients:
- •Right-sized AI. We use the smallest model that does the job well and put simple, deterministic steps in front of expensive model calls. That keeps costs and energy use down.
- •Built for the channels people use. Our WhatsApp and voice agents work on basic phones and in local languages, the same channels that can carry an early warning or a crop advisory.
- •Honest reporting. Clients see what their AI systems cost per call, so spend and usage are visible, not discovered later.
- •Traceable data. Many of our automations exist to make numbers trustworthy: extracting, checking and reporting data so decisions rest on evidence.
Thank you
Thank you to the organisers and our fellow panellists, including Maggie Mullen of re-earth initiative, for a conversation that brought technology, justice and finance together. Husnain's full notes from the panel, with sources, are on his blog: COP31 panel: AI is a climate tool and a climate load.
Work with Aiwalay
If you are building a climate, sustainability-reporting or early-warning tool, or want AI that runs efficiently in your business, contact us or browse our work.