Student protest targets Nvidia sustainability head at NYC Climate Week
Students from the Sunrise Movement protested Nvidia's Head of Sustainability, Josh Parker, during an AI panel at NYC Climate Week in Manhattan. They accused Nvidia and its data centers of contributing to climate disaster and questioned the company's commitment to sustainability given its emissions and alleged involvement with the Israeli military. Parker stated Nvidia was present at Climate Week due to its focus on climate change.
During NYC Climate Week in Manhattan on September 23, 2026, a group of students interrupted an artificial intelligence panel, specifically targeting Josh Parker, Nvidia's Head of Sustainability. The protest, documented by the Sunrise Movement, saw activists vocally accuse Nvidia and other corporations of being "responsible for climate disaster" due to their data centers and associated emissions.
Protestors shouted at Parker, claiming their families in India were suffering from droughts caused by the company's actions and highlighting an alleged 15 million tons of CO2 emitted. The description also noted that undeclared downstream emissions from Nvidia's chips could reach up to 23 million tons of CO2 equivalent by 2025. Additionally, activists accused Nvidia of providing a $500 million deal to Israel and alleged its AI chips were being used by the Israeli military. Parker had stated, "We're here at Climate Week because we care about climate and we're focused on climate change," a claim met with scorn from the protestors.