The Pollution Being Churned Out by AI Data Centers Is So Severe That It's Almost Incomprehensible

Cornell researchers found that at the current rate of AI growth, the burgeoning industry could represent 24 to 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2030

The United States emitted 4.9 billion tonnes of CO₂ in 2024.

So by 2030 the AI industry CO2 release might be 0.9% of total US emissions.

That ‘almost’ in “Almost Incomprehensible” is doing a lot of work there.

.9% from a single source is RIDICULOUS though

Ok how much is beef farming accountable for

A huge amount too, 37.9%

But more than one thing can be bad a time, a novel idea, I know

And how many beef farms are there compared to data centers? A lot of a lot more.

If a tiny amount of physical space can do such a large amount of pollution, that’s a worry, when the plan is to increase the amount of them.

Well, sure, but when everyone loses their fucking minds about the tiniest thing, that even requires us to buy all the lies from billionaires about how much the build out will be, while having never done anything about the biggest thing they could personally change, it starts sounding mightily hypocritical.

It seems like the personal responsibility to boycott polluting and unnecessary industries is limited to whatever doesn’t require any personal effort from the person speaking.

Napkin math:

• 40% of americans are very or extremely concerned about AIs environmental impact
• To save 34 million tonnes of CO2e, you need about 5.2 million vegans from now until 2030
• So only 5% of ONLY the complainers would need to go vegan to make up for this “tremendous” impact
• That’s 2% of all americans

That’s the thing we’re even attacking random strangers online for. The thing that we pretend is going to bring about the end times. But sure, veganism is the extreme position…

By the way, what other resources are we saving?

• Water — about 8.8 trillion gallons (~33 billion m³)
• Land — around 1–1.5 million acres of forest/land
• Animals — roughly 8 billion animals including fish and shellfish

More than one thing can be bad.

Why don’t we do both? Less AI, Less Meat

Also, I’m not American, don’t insult me by assuming I’m one

Or, just eat less meat and you can still have AI

or have double meat and no ai.

Bad for heart health, unless it’s chicken which already has much lower emissions in the first place

AI is bad for your brain and society, so there’s that.

AI is great for society. Just because it’s still in its early years doesn’t mean we won’t have better uses for it later.