Story Spark: AI and Data Centers

The document outlines the climate and community risks associated with the proliferation of AI data centers, noting their high energy and water demands and their tendency to rely on fossil fuels. It provides practical advice for journalists to report on local data center capacity, utility rate increases, and pollution, while citing specific examples of community struggles in the US and AI's varied roles in climate adaptation and forecasting.

• The number of data centers in the US has doubled over the last decade, reaching over 5,400, which is 10 times more than any other country.
• AI energy consumption is projected to account for more than half of all data center electricity by 2028, with current AI electricity use equivalent to 22% of all US households annually.
• Because AI data centers require constant 24/7 power, they primarily rely on fossil fuels rather than intermittent renewables like wind and solar, leading some regions to keep coal plants operational or consider restarting old nuclear plants.
• AI infrastructure can cause negative local externalities, including increased pollution, high fresh water consumption for cooling, and rising utility rates for consumers due to subsidies paid to data centers.

APA

Gearino, D. (2025). Story Spark: AI and Data Centers. Covering Climate Now. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/covering-ai-and-data-centers/

Chicago

Gearino, Dan. Story Spark: AI and Data Centers. Covering Climate Now, 2025. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/covering-ai-and-data-centers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gearino |first1=Dan |title=Story Spark: AI and Data Centers |publisher=Covering Climate Now |date=14 October 2025 |url=https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/covering-ai-and-data-centers/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gearino2025story, author = {Gearino, Dan}, title = {{Story Spark: AI and Data Centers}}, institution = {Covering Climate Now}, year = {2025}, month = oct, url = {https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/covering-ai-and-data-centers/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }