AI and nature
Every answer from an AI tool comes from a data centre that runs on electricity, water and land. Trees don't cancel that out. But while the world builds data centres, you can help a new forest grow.
A single text prompt uses about as much electricity as an oven does in one second, according to OpenAI. On its own, that is nothing to worry about.
But ChatGPT alone answers billions of prompts every day, AI tools are built into almost everything, and the data centres behind them are growing faster than any other part of the world's electricity demand. Many people who use AI every day feel this, even if they can't put a number on it.
of electricity used by the world's data centres in 2024, about 1.5% of all electricity. That is set to more than double by 2030.
International Energy Agency, 2025growth in data centre electricity use in 2025, while the world's electricity use grew 3%.
International Energy Agency, 2026prompts a day sent to ChatGPT alone, and AI is now built into search, e-mail, phones and office tools.
TechCrunch, 2025Every data centre needs a large plot of land, power lines and a lot of electricity. As more of them are built, open land is in greater demand than ever.
The biggest tech companies know trees matter. As its data centres grow, Microsoft alone has agreed to buy 7 million tonnes of carbon removal from new forests.
You can do the same on your own scale: every tree you plant turns a piece of former grassland into new forest.
There is no honest exchange rate between prompts and trees, and we don't pretend there is. Pick a simple rule that feels right to you.
Plant a tree for every month you use your AI tools. £5 a month, about the price of a coffee.
Rolling out AI in your company? Plant a tree for every licence and tell your team why.
Building with AI? Plant trees for every release, model or new customer, and share the count.
Shorter prompts, smaller models and fewer throw-away generations save energy. The cleanest energy is the energy not used.
No, and we won't tell you they do. A young tree takes decades to grow, and nobody can honestly match a number of prompts to a number of trees. What you get is real: native trees planted for you, looked after for decades, and your name on the leaderboard. The best thing for the climate is to use AI wisely and plant trees as well.
Whatever feels right. Many people choose one tree a month, or a tree for every big project they did with AI. One tree costs £5.
No. All our forests are planted on former grassland, so every tree becomes part of a forest that did not exist before.
Yes. Plant a tree per AI licence, per release or per year, and get one invoice for the whole order. See the ideas for companies or tell us what you have in mind.
