Why Data Protection Officers are essential partners in the age of data-driven ESG

COP30 is the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference, being held this November in Belém, Brazil. This major global summit brings together governments, scientists, businesses, Indigenous leaders and civil society to advance international climate action. From its opening day, COP30 has focused on key themes, including adaptation, cities, infrastructure, water, waste, local governance, the bioeconomy, the circular economy and science, technology and artificial intelligence. However, artificial intelligence and digital technology have emerged as the standout themes this year, with initiatives like the launch of the AI Climate Institute (AICI) underscoring how climate action is becoming deeply data-driven and increasingly reliant on cross-border collaboration. 

AI and data at the heart of COP30 

COP30 has positioned itself as a summit focused on action, accountability, and the expanding role of technology and data in tackling the climate crisis. A key message is that effective climate action depends on a strong foundation of reliable data, with information integrity and advanced analytics for emissions mapping and transition planning playing central roles in shaping global strategies. For Data Protection Officers (DPOs) and data privacy professionals, this raises key questions surrounding the governance of climate data, AI models and international data flows to ensure compliance with legal standards.  

The strongest signal of this shift to data-driven action is the launch of the AI Climate Institute (AICI) by Climate Change AI and its partners. The AICI is designed to equip countries in the Global South with the skills and infrastructure needed to build their own AI-driven climate solutions. The initiative offers technical training and access to digital learning resources, enabling local experts to create context-appropriate AI tools. The AICI relies heavily on large datasets and cross-border data flows. Its purpose is not simply to deploy advanced AI but to empower countries to shape and govern solutions that reflect their own environmental, social and economic realities. For DPOs, the launch of AICI highlights a growing need to ensure that global climate collaboration is supported by strong privacy safeguards, responsible AI oversight and lawful international data transfers. 

The emerging governance and compliance challenge 

While AI offers major advantages for climate action, the discussions at COP30 highlight growing concerns about how these systems are governed and what happens when climate data becomes extremely granular. Governments and companies are now using AI to measure and model ESG performance in ways that rely on detailed geospatial and climate data. This type of data often intersects with identifiable communities and commercially sensitive operations. 

This opens up wider data governance considerations. The tools used to understand climate landscapes often rely on continuous data about how people move, how land is managed, and what areas are most at risk. This type of data can often be personal or sensitive. At the same time, detailed climate reporting requires the disclosure of information that organisations consider commercially sensitive. As a result, the convergence of climate ambition and sensitive data, coupled with cross-border transfers, raises real privacy risks, particularly where data is pooled on private platforms or processed with weaker protections than those in the originating country.  

A key role for DPOs: embedding privacy-by-design and ethical controls 

DPOs will need to become pivotal partners in climate action. As tools for understanding climate landscapes increasingly rely on personal, community, and commercially sensitive data, and as climate reporting demands greater transparency, DPOs bring the expertise to ensure that this information is governed ethically and in line with global data protection regulations. By working closely with sustainability and ESG teams, DPOs can embed privacy-by-design and ethical AI principles into environmental data analytics and reporting and support the safeguarding of data flows across borders and platforms.  

Looking ahead 

COP30 has underscored how climate ambition and data governance are fundamentally intertwined. The future of effective climate action depends on strengthening this connection and building a world where robust data drives climate solutions without compromising privacy, ethics or fairness.  

As stewards of responsible data use, DPOs stand at the centre of this new frontier, equipped to guide organisations through an increasingly complex landscape of data-driven sustainability, regulatory change and global expectations.  

If you’d like to explore how our experts can help your organisation navigate this evolving terrain with confidence, get in touch.