EY Sustainability Matters

In this episode of the EY Sustainability Matters podcast, Bruno Sarda hosts a discussion with Mark Greatrex, President of Cox Communications, and Tom Kiernan, CEO of American Rivers, about the pivotal role of water in supporting communities and businesses. The guests emphasize that, amid increasing challenges such as nature loss, pollution, drought, flooding and climate extremes, safeguarding rivers is now more critical than ever for commercial interests and economic health. 

The dialogue explores how organizations can deepen their understanding of their reliance on healthy river systems, advance solutions through collaborative efforts, and promote water-positive and nature-positive practices. 

Additionally, the speakers underscore the importance of strategic partnerships in achieving watershed-scale outcomes. Effective collaboration between businesses and nonprofit organizations facilitates data sharing, strategic alignment, and the development of practical projects that provide multifaceted benefits to communities, industry and ecosystems. 

Both guests highlight the value of establishing relationships prior to crises, ensuring that trust and momentum are established when challenges inevitably arise.

In this episode of EY Sustainability Matters, David Rae, EY Global Lead for Technology, AI and Innovation at EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services, explores the complex intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and nature. The host poses the question: Can technology solve the nature loss crisis, or will its resource-heavy footprint only accelerate the problem?
Hear industry voices and activists debate whether AI is a necessary tool for nature's survival and offer holistic views on the risks and opportunities ahead, drawing on a hypothetical debate from The EY AI x Sustainability Exchange: from big questions to real solutions, where activists were asked to take opposing sides of the argument. 
Gilad Goren of the Nature Tech Collective argues that reversing nature loss is impossible without AI, which is essential for de-risking private sector investment and closing the nature finance gap. We also hear how companies, such as SAP, IBM, Treefera and others, are leveraging real-time data to track deforestation and optimize crop yields in hard-to-abate sectors.
Conversely, activists Livia Pagoto and Fred Werner highlight the "shadow effect" — the skyrocketing energy and water demands of massive data centers. The conversation also explores ethical governance, questioning whether potentially biased algorithms can ever replicate human care required to protect the environment.
AI is already accelerating nature protection, from monitoring deforestation and biodiversity to improving climate risk assessment, supply‑chain transparency and renewable energy optimization.
However, AI's rapid growth is resource‑intensive, driving significant increases in energy and water use, and raising concerns about scalability, equity and environmental impact.
Progress requires collective action, combining human wisdom, inclusive governance, Indigenous knowledge and responsible innovation, to ensure that AI strengthens — rather than replaces — our relationship with nature.
@2026 Ernst & Young LLP

In this episode of EY Sustainability Matters, David Rae, EY Global Lead for Technology, AI and Innovation at EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services, explores the complex intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and nature. The host poses the question: Can technology solve the nature loss crisis, or will its resource-heavy footprint only accelerate the problem?
Hear industry voices and activists debate whether AI is a necessary tool for nature's survival and offer holistic views on the risks and opportunities ahead, drawing on a hypothetical debate from The EY AI x Sustainability Exchange: from big questions to real solutions, where activists were asked to take opposing sides of the argument. 
Gilad Goren of the Nature Tech Collective argues that reversing nature loss is impossible without AI, which is essential for de-risking private sector investment and closing the nature finance gap. We also hear how companies, such as SAP, IBM, Treefera and others, are leveraging real-time data to track deforestation and optimize crop yields in hard-to-abate sectors.
Conversely, activists Livia Pagoto and Fred Werner highlight the "shadow effect" — the skyrocketing energy and water demands of massive data centers. The conversation also explores ethical governance, questioning whether potentially biased algorithms can ever replicate human care required to protect the environment.
AI is already accelerating nature protection, from monitoring deforestation and biodiversity to improving climate risk assessment, supply‑chain transparency and renewable energy optimization.

However, AI's rapid growth is resource‑intensive, driving significant increases in energy and water use, and raising concerns about scalability, equity and environmental impact.

Progress requires collective action, combining human wisdom, inclusive governance, Indigenous knowledge and responsible innovation, to ensure that AI strengthens — rather than replaces — our relationship with nature.

@2026 Ernst & Young LLP

In this episode of EY Sustainability Matters, David Rae, EY Global Lead for Technology, AI and Innovation at EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services, explores the complex intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and nature. The host poses the question: Can technology solve the nature loss crisis, or will its resource-heavy footprint only accelerate the problem?
Hear industry voices and activists debate whether AI is a necessary tool for nature's survival and offer holistic views on the risks and opportunities ahead, drawing on a hypothetical debate from The EY AI x Sustainability Exchange: from big questions to real solutions, where activists were asked to take opposing sides of the argument. 
Gilad Goren of the Nature Tech Collective argues that reversing nature loss is impossible without AI, which is essential for de-risking private sector investment and closing the nature finance gap. We also hear how companies, such as SAP, IBM, Treefera and others, are leveraging real-time data to track deforestation and optimize crop yields in hard-to-abate sectors.
Conversely, activists Livia Pagoto and Fred Werner highlight the "shadow effect" — the skyrocketing energy and water demands of massive data canters. The conversation also explores ethical governance, questioning whether potentially biased algorithms can ever replicate human care required to protect the environment.
AI is already accelerating nature protection, from monitoring deforestation and biodiversity to improving climate risk assessment, supply‑chain transparency and renewable energy optimization.

However, AI's rapid growth is resource‑intensive, driving significant increases in energy and water use, and raising concerns about scalability, equity and environmental impact.

Progress requires collective action, combining human wisdom, inclusive governance, Indigenous knowledge and responsible innovation, to ensure that AI strengthens — rather than replaces — our relationship with nature.
@2026 Ernst & Young LLP

In this episode of the Sustainability Matters podcast, hosts Bruno Sarda and Anne Munaretto interview Ravi Annapragada, Director of Sustainability and Energy Strategy at Carrier, a global supplier of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) products. Together they discuss 'Joining forces for a sustainable future', a collaboration between Carrier customers, suppliers, and internal teams that aims to accelerate decarbonization and drive meaningful sustainability progress.  

The initiative, engaging 10 major customers across various sectors at different stages of their sustainability journey, highlights the benefits of moving away from isolated efforts toward partnership and co-creation. 

The discussion describes the HVAC giant's path to setting ambitious science-based targets, recognizing that most emissions stem from product use and realizing that addressing these challenges requires collaboration rather than a solely transactional relationship. The guests also emphasize the importance of internal alignment, especially with sales teams, and demonstrate that sustainability and business growth can be mutually reinforcing.