Cómo cubrir los centros de datos

The document outlines the climate and social risks associated with the expansion of data centers, highlighting their massive energy and water consumption. It warns journalists against uncritically accepting corporate claims about job creation and investment, urging them to investigate local resource competition, 'digital sacrifice zones,' and extractivist dynamics in the Global South.

• Data centers consume approximately 415 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, representing about 1.5% of global electricity, with projections suggesting this will rise to 945 terawatt-hours by the end of the decade.
• The energy demand for data centers is growing four times faster than total energy demand, which complicates efforts to reduce fossil fuel reliance in the energy mix, as gas remains a primary source in most markets.
• Data centers create significant water stress by competing with local communities and agriculture for cooling resources; for example, a Google facility in Canelones, Uruguay, requires up to 7.6 million liters of water daily, equivalent to the consumption of 55,000 people.
• While Latin America currently holds a small share of the global market, its weight is expected to at least double in the next decade, with Brazil leading and Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and Uruguay positioned for growth.
• The document argues that data center installations in the Global South may reproduce extractivist dynamics, where economic and technological benefits do not remain in the host location, and local communities face increased electricity outages or higher resource prices.

APA

CCNow (2026). Cómo cubrir los centros de datos. Covering Climate Now. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/como-cubrir-los-centros-de-datos/

Chicago

CCNow. Cómo cubrir los centros de datos. Covering Climate Now, 2026. https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/como-cubrir-los-centros-de-datos/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=CCNow |title=Cómo cubrir los centros de datos |publisher=Covering Climate Now |date=4 March 2026 |url=https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/como-cubrir-los-centros-de-datos/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ccnow2026cmo, author = {CCNow}, title = {{Cómo cubrir los centros de datos}}, institution = {Covering Climate Now}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/como-cubrir-los-centros-de-datos/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }