World leaders in New York to grapple with climate. Fuel prices, AI and disasters complicate things

World and business leaders in New York this week are weighing the accelerating costs of climate change alongside soaring energy prices, with rising heat waves, wildfires and a catastrophic Nepal flood underscoring the stakes. UN and activists say the conversation may shift as two new pressures take center stage: energy-hungry artificial intelligence and data centers, and higher fossil-fuel costs linked to wars in Iran and Ukraine. Scientist Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, said the world has moved from seeing climate change in individual events to seeing its “handprint” globally. UN climate chief Simon Stiell warned that higher fuel dependence is feeding inflation and hitting consumers at the pump.