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AI's environmental toll extends beyond carbon to water and land resources

2d ago· 4 min readenNews

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Summary

AI's growing environmental footprint extends beyond carbon emissions to include massive water and land consumption. Data centres powering AI could consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030 — nearly triple the combined electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria. The article highlights that every unit of electricity used by data centres carries a "water footprint" for cooling and a "land footprint" for power generation and supply chains, calling for a rethinking of how sustainability is measured in the AI industry.

Key quotes

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Data centres, the global infrastructure powering AI, could consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030 – nearly triple the combined annual electricity use of Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, countries collectively home to more than 650 million people.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

On top of the carbon footprint, every unit of electricity used by data centres also carries a 'water footprint' for cooling and energy production, and a 'land footprint' associated with power generation and supply chains.

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Artificial Intelligence is not only responsible for worrying amounts of earth-warming greenhouse gases: the technology's environmental footprint is also expanding at a pace that could strain the planet’s natural resources.

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