AI Throws Climate Change Under The Bus
The people at Inside Climate News fear AI has thrown climate improvements under the bus. There is every reason to think this is true.
Among the evidence of the problem is that every major tech company has promised a net-zero operating, and some promised it well before 2050, or even 2035.
These tech companies made their promises when AI was in its early infancy. There was no way to anticipate the amount of electricity AI data centers would need. It is only this year that these companies, which include OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and Alphabet, said they would invest tens of billions of dollars into these facilities.
Meta, Microsoft, Amazon
There was also no way to know that electricity generation and the grid would be strained beyond comprehension. The grid is weak enough that it is hard to see how electricity will be moved from one plant to another. And, at the current pace, new electricity will be needed; renewable energy will not be sufficient to meet demand. That means more natural gas, and a return to coal, the dirtiest of all fossil fuels.
The tech industry alone will increase America’s greenhouse gas emissions. The war for the lead in AI could be the largest economic and business horse race in tech history. And, additionally, China has gained on the US in AI advances, and may have even moved past it.
Economically and strategically, for these companies, throwing climate under the bus is an easy decision.
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