EAUC and Jisc launch new guide to help universities and colleges act on the environmental impact of AI

Launching today at our 2026 annual conference, new guidance from EAUC and Jisc helps universities and colleges better understand and respond to the rapidly growing environmental impacts of artificial intelligence (AI). 

As AI tools become increasingly embedded across teaching, research and estate operations, the new AI and environmental sustainability in post-16 education guide urges institutions to move beyond passive adoption and take informed, responsible action. 

It sets out both the environmental risks associated with AI and the practical opportunities to use it as a force for sustainability.

Key highlights

• College and university leaders looking to prioritise environmental sustainability are concerned that AI technology is developing fast, vendor claims are difficult to verify, and guidance that feels both practical and trustworthy is not always easy to find.
• This guide is a response to that gap and highlights both the risks and the opportunities of AI for environmental sustainability.
• By providing practical advice broken down by institutional role, the guidance makes the responsible and sustainable use of AI something everyone can contribute to.
• The guidance also calls on university and college leaders and sector bodies to collectively encourage AI vendors to provide more reliable data on their energy use, water consumption and carbon emissions to enhance environmental reporting across the post-16 education and research sectors.

Charlotte Bonner, CEO of EAUC said: 

“This guidance reflects the strength of partnership between Jisc and EAUC, and the insight of practitioners across the sector who are actively grappling with the challenges and opportunities AI presents. 

It does not claim to have all the answers but instead offers an honest and practical reflection of what we currently know in a rapidly evolving landscape. 

We see this as the start of a wider programme of work to support the sector, and we encourage technology suppliers to play their part by improving transparency and working with us to enable more sustainable AI adoption.” 

Cal Innes, sustainability subject specialist at Jisc said: 

“The speed of AI adoption across colleges and universities, in many cases, is surpassing institutions' ability to keep pace with its consequences, with the environmental dimension being one of the least well understood. 

Our members have expressed a need for support that is both practical and trustworthy, and that's exactly what Jisc and EAUC have aimed to achieve with this guide. What the sector doesn’t need is more hype in either direction. 

By providing reliable evidence, honest assessment, and practical guidance and tools people can actually use we hope to move the conversation around AI and sustainability forward.” 

Next steps

The guide is available to read now via the Jisc website. 

It calls for universities, colleges and sector bodies to: 

• Work together to request clearer environmental data from AI providers 

• Share knowledge and emerging practice across the sector 

• Engage with evolving regulation and standards for digital sustainability 

To support these actions, join us at our upcoming AI and environmental sustainability masterclass taking place online on 14 July 2026.