>The exponential growth of data and the rising demand for data centres is challenging global climate progress. The rapid development of AI could undermine decarbonisation efforts worldwide by driving electricity consumption and emissions to extreme levels. >As AI models evolve from simple text generation to more complex image, video, and music generation, data requirements are expanding rapidly, further amplifying energy demand. Since 2022, global investment in data centres has nearly doubled, reaching half a trillion dollars in 2024. However, this boom has also triggered mounting concerns around the sector’s growing energy footprint. Today, data centres and data transmission networks are responsible for about 1 percent of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. >AI-optimised data centres, particularly hyperscale facilities, are pushing energy use to unprecedented levels. Some centres now require 100 megawatts or more of electricity. For perspective, a single large-scale facility can consume as much electricity annually as 350,000 to 400,000 electric vehicles.>In 2022, data centres consumed an estimated 240 to 340 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity, accounting for approximately 1 to 1.3 percent of global electricity demand. Electricity demand from AI-optimised data centres is projected to more than quadruple by 2030, reaching about 945 TWh, which would exceed Japan’s current electricity consumption.>As of March 2025, the United States holds the largest number of data centres globally, operating 5,426 facilities. As a result, the USA accounts for the highest share of global data centre electricity consumption, responsible for 45 percent of global usage in 2024, followed by China at 25 percent and Europe at 15 percent. >In the United States, data centres are expected to drive nearly half of the country’s electricity demand growth between now and 2030. By the end of the decade, the USA will consume more electricity for data centres than for the production of aluminium, steel, cement, chemicals, and all other energy-intensive goods combined.>A recent study examined 2,132 data centres operating across the United States, representing 78 percent of all facilities, between September 2023 and August 2024. The findings showed that these data centres accounted for over 4 percent of total US electricity consumption, with more than half of that electricity sourced from fossil fuels. This contributed to more than 105 million tons of CO2e emissions, representing 2.18 percent of total US emissions in 2023.>The strain on local power grids will continue to intensify as more data centres are built. Construction timelines for new centres often outpace upgrades to grid and transmission infrastructure. Several jurisdictions have already paused new data centre projects to process connection backlogs and evaluate grid capacity. Rising concerns over electricity availability and prices have led some regions to consider temporary moratoriums on development.>Data centers consume water primarily to cool servers from overheating. A Cornell University study estimates AI demand alone could require 4.2–6.6 billion cubic meters of fresh water annually by 2027, roughly half of the UK’s yearly usage.>The demand for water for data center cooling is exacerbating the water crisis in water-sensitive regions already suffering from the effects of climate-related water shortages. Stakeholder engagement is most necessary while choosing a location to set up new data centers. While huge data centers generate employment and create an uptick in the economy, the environmental cost of setting up a data center needs to be assessed first. One such example was the proposed approval for a data center in Arizona which is known for its arid landscape and water woes. >In 2021, Google’s global data centers consumed approximately 4.3 billion gallons (16.2 billion litres) of water altogether. Though water-cooled data centers consume less energy to cool heating and emit roughly 10% less carbon emissions than air-cooled data centers, they still place immense stress on freshwater resources.>Data centers contain thousands of components with varied life cycles. While servers, batteries, and networking equipment typically require replacement every 3–5 years, infrastructure such as air conditioning systems and generators may last over a decade.>Short upgrade cycles—especially in high-performance facilities—result in significant volumes of e-waste. In a 2020 survey, 42% of IT managers reported replacing servers every 2–3 years. Given the scale of global data centers, e-waste volumes are staggering. >Data centers require substantial real estate and resources, often competing with agriculture, housing, or other commercial sectors. In some regions, their expansion fuels gentrification, increases land costs, and stresses local infrastructure. >Noise pollution from data centers is rarely ever spoken about, even though it increasingly affects nearby communities. The constant hum of servers, network switches, routers, air conditioning systems, and industrial cooling fans creates significant and persistent noise levels. This mechanical chorus can generate sound levels exceeding 80 dBA, comparable to a leaf blower.>Communities living near large data centers frequently report health concerns linked to the unceasing background noise. Chronic exposure causes sleep disturbance, headache, hearing loss, elevated stress hormone levels, hypertension, anxiety, and even cardiovascular risks.>Persistent land-based noise pollution also affects other species. Noise from data centers disrupts animal communication, alters natural behavior, and forces wildlife to change migration patterns.https://archive.ph/dCTMo >>2412179>accounting for approximately 1 to 1.3 percent of global electricity demandgiven how much of modern life and infrastructure is reliant on it, thats fucking nothing. And then they cry about huge centers when those are the most efficient.
Fucking greentards will latch onto complaining about anything polluting (aka literally all productive human activities) rather than push for actual large scale long term planning and making cost benefits calculations.
>>2412259Not opposing imperialism is being on the side of imperialism due to apathy
Datacenters are imperialistic, and big tech companies are imperialist
>>2412255china is literally going to build a network in space to siphon energy from the sun making it so we all get infinite renewable energy forever.
kill yourself technology hinderer.
>>2412273kill yourself redditor
>hahah I'm so smart I disagree with you boththat means you know NOTHING and refuse to take a side for fear of being outed as a retard. kill yourself.
>>2412278On this topic yes.
Either you think data centers are going to irreversibly destroy the environment and Earth or you think it's over-hyped fear propaganda that won't happen. Choose. AOC claimed Earth would reach a point of no return in 2030.
>>2412262>if you disagree with datacenters siphoning resources to produce ai slop on stolen indigenous land you are uhhh… a neoludittenot beating the exxon shill alegation
>>2412271okay, and?
>>2412271Based
The true thirdworldist sends the degrower to the gallows
>>2412179We should burn data centers, not to "save the planet" but to erase our digital footprint and cripple corporations that collect information about us. The planet should die faster so we can have a crisis moment already.
PLEASE DO EPIK ADVENTURISM ON GOOGLE, DON'T SELF IMMOLATE, BURN THE DATA CENTER, YOU WILL BE SUPER DUPER HERO OF THE PEOPLE, PLEASEEEEEE and don't make a luddic manifesto, just say its against corporations and shit, don't blame technology in general.
>>2412512Datacenters are fucking people at the imperial core, and /leftypol/ gotta be like:
>uhhh we need to export those hecking datacenters to the third world uhhhhh because it is bad for us and we are enlightening them, no, not imperialism, it is just a civilizing missio- i mean technological advancement to developing "socialist nations"how about instead of giving us gigantic metal boxes that siphon energy just throw us abunch of recyclable trash and trillions of dollars to make sure we dont develop actual industries
>>2412247>>2412254>>2412254PMC socialism is anti-human Elon Musk settler ideology for the redditor class. They all agree about how they need to achieve Star Trek utopias of asteroid mining
>>2412268>technology hindererat no point will these neoliberals ever mention an actual working class human in their epic anime villain speeches, that's because they aren't human!
>>2412245>everything I dont like is schizo paranoia>>2412270>imperialism is when corporations from a country i dont like do thingslol NPCs used the exact same response. These neoliberals don't care about you at all! But they care desperately about minimizing and protect their satanic Zionist aligned ideology's effects on actual human beings who would never be invited to soyface at AI techno-futurism at Jeffrey Epstein's PMC redditor island
>>2412624>le third world and le first world dividelib retard
outsourcing wont stop until class society as a whole stops
>>2412624Truth
The problem is the investment that entails. Many great data centers are done in Siberia and northern China because of the less cost of refrigeration for that matter, and it requires some technical expertise. Why bother sending it to the periphery?
The periphery by itself will have to do their own datacenters so all of it doesn't end up in hecking Boggerville,MA
>>2412624>uhhh we need to export those hecking datacenters to the third worldthis isn't going to happen, even if you're an inhuman national-chauvinist like many on leftypol, because AI datacenters are considered a natsec asset, and a competitive priority vs china. maybe some companies will try to outsource some compute into brazil or whatever, but not at the scale it's happening within the US
>>2412796>Many great data centers are done in Siberia and northern China because of the less cost of refrigeration for that matteri swear to god US porkies are straight up retarded because why build in buttfucking texas of all places if refrigeration costs are going to be a huge deal
>>2413175
No shit. It's an old trope. I'd have to think of how many sci-fi IPs used it. I guess the oldest and most notable I can think of is Hitchhiker's Guide with the computer built to calculate the meaning of the universe which is 42.
But besides AI shit, which I think has been bizzarely explored in sci-fi when you really think about it. Terminator and Matrix? The robots in terminator, and skynet aren't even a character, so I guess that basically leaves the Matrix, but they show the robots being the overlords of people, but I don't know if they really sell intellectually superior.
But going beyond the AI thing, Sci-Fi cultists are just as obsessed with becoming an "interplanetary species" and an "interstellar species." Really it's such a sick cult, none of them even dream about piece on Earth and end to suffering on Earth. It's all about doing stupid dick-measuring stuff for the fuck of it.
I think the AI-God is a stupid idea, but it sounds a little more hopeful than imagining you can cryo yourself for the 20k year journey to Alpha Centauri which probably doesn't even have any habitable planets.
Anyways I hate sci-fi cultists. All these "atheists" do is recreate religion and god and everything by another name.
>I don't believe in morals,
<I believe in ethics.
>I don't believe in Maya
<I believe that we are in a computer simulation
All these dumb faggots are doing is rebranding concepts and philosophies that have existed for thousands of years with their stupid, bits, bytes, and silicon aesthetics.
>>2413205God is inside you.
There is something special about your consience/conciousness, otherwise, you're right, nothing means anything, might as well systematically use this material existence to fulfill your desires, which are also an arbitrary arrangement of atoms.
>>2413184>I believe in ethicsAlmost as if most normies need an ethical standard to justify their actions!
You might say that morals are bullshit anon. But will you report your supervisor to ICE so you can get their job instead? What if you need that new job so you can pay for your overdue rent? People face these kinds of moral dilemmas all the time and they are unable, as Schmitt remarked, to be their own priest and kings and judges upon themselves, so they escape to a clear cut moral system that can assure them that they are doing the right thing, i.e with utilitarianism. But to be a leftist i think is to realize that the father, the norms, has never existed in the first place.
>>2413241>Almost as if most normies need an ethical standard to justify their actions! >You might say that morals are bullshit anon.I don't think you had a basic comprehension of my statements if that was your interpretation. Do I need to put it into ChatGPT?
> But will you report your supervisor to ICE so you can get their job instead? What? No?
>What if you need that new job so you can pay for your overdue rent?What if I needed it for my 12 year old's heart surgery? I don't know. I couldn't speculate.
>People face these kinds of moral dilemmas all the time and they are unable, as Schmitt remarked, to be their own priest and kings and judges upon themselves, so they escape to a clear cut moral system that can assure them that they are doing the right thing, i.e with utilitarianism.Well that's only a microcosm of human behavior. To claim that humans act rationally out of need for self-preservation or for that of their kin or whatever is laughable. Most of the "moral" choices people make have nothing to do with any kind of self-preservation.
>But to be a leftist i think is to realize that the father, the norms, has never existed in the first place.So what is your principles? Critique without asserting an an alternate position is real weaksauce bro.
>>2413205[Verse]
Welcome Moon-and-Star
Come to me through fire and war
Ooh, ooh
Come, Nerevar
Come and look upon the heart, upon the heart
Ooh
Lay down your weapons
It is not too late for my mercy
Ooh, ooh
Come and look upon the heart, upon the heart
Ooh, ooh, ooh
[Chorus]
I'm a god
How can you kill a god?
What a grand and intoxicating innocence
I'm a god
How can you kill a god?
Shame on you, sweet Nerevar
>>2413334Probably, there are obviously benefits to modern technologies but it's not like we gained much in terms of independence, we've just are completely reliant on a few megacorps and governments now.
Luddites were right tbh
>>2413458uygha did you not see the ted k image that comment was replying too?
I only said ted k because of that IMAGE
Unique IPs: 44