AI data centers are burning fossil fuels and undoing climate pledges

Big Tech's AI boom is leaning on fossil fuels, and that is pushing aside climate pledges the companies made years ago. That is the argument in a new book by journalist Paris Marx, covered by CNET. For people who live near a data center, the cost can show up in local electricity, water and air.

Why these buildings are different

Data centers are the buildings full of servers that keep the internet running. They have been around for years. The AI era brought hyperscale data centers, which are far larger. A big data center once needed around 50 megawatts of power. Hyperscale ones can need triple that. Meta's Louisiana site may need 4.5 gigawatts, which officials say is four times all the electricity New Orleans used on its hottest day in 2025.

Water is a second cost. Newer AI chips run hotter, so sites add water cooling on top of air conditioning. A 2025 estimate says a hyperscale center can use 1 million to 5 million gallons a day. That is about what a town of more than 10,000 residents uses.

Where the fossil fuels come in

Getting approved and connected to a town's power grid can take years. So tech companies have started building their own power plants next to data centers. These can run on gas turbines or coal. Sites also keep huge tanks of diesel on hand in case the power goes out. Amazon, Microsoft and Google together control 59% of hyperscale data center capacity.

The broken climate pledges

In the 2010s, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and others pledged to become carbon neutral or even carbon negative. Sustainability reports from that time showed their footprints shrinking. Marx says that changed once ChatGPT arrived. Google reported a 50% rise in its greenhouse gas emissions in 2024. In 2023, Microsoft president Brad Smith said the company's carbon goal was five times as far away as in 2020 because of AI.

Who feels it first

• Neighbors have reported brown or unsafe drinking water.
• Residents have described constant noise from the sites.
• A lawsuit over Elon Musk's xAI centers in Memphis cites extreme health risks.

Marx says Memphis residents are feeling the burning fuel in their lungs. Opposition has also grown in Oregon, Chile and Ireland, among other places.

What happens next

Marx asks how much computing the world really needs, and whether the technology justifies the resources it takes. Many data center neighbors have already answered no. The article does not say whether the big companies plan to change course or restore their climate targets.