Every second of every day, day after day, large computers in huge data centers process requests and sending information on to phones or computers. It is like magic; however, it comes with environmental cost at every step of this process. Data centers use a tremendous amount of electricity, need millions of gallons of water to keep cool and add tons of emissions plus other pollutants into the air — which add to climate change and impact health, especially for communities around these data centers.
Data centers used 1.9% of total US electricity in 2018, 4.4% in 2023 and are projected to use 12% in 2028. In 2023, 66 billion liters of water were used by data centers — triple the amount in 2013. Data centers contribute about 0.5 % of global greenhouse gas emissions. Health costs are estimated to rise to $20 billion per year by 2030.
Earth Steward Action: Reduce your energy footprint. Stay tuned for part 2 next week.
Source: AI Is Using Your Energy and Water—and Polluting Your Air. Catalyst, vol. 25, fall 2025, pp. 16-17. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2025-10/Catalyst-Fall-2025.pdf