Exactly how much of an environmental menace is AI? Here’s what we know

Fred Greaves/Reuters

The staggering rise of AI has become a political flashpoint, especially when it comes to the data centers needed to train and operate it.

As the industry booms, many people are increasingly worried about the environmental impacts of these hulking buildings, from their seemingly insatiable demand for water and energy, to the heat and noise they produce.

Nearly 90% of Americans say they’re more concerned than excited about the rise of AI data centers, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS in September.

Information and statistics are flying around, with some groups framing the AI data center boom as a potential environmental catastrophe, while others say concerns are overblown or even fake . It’s adding up to a confusing picture.

So, just how bad is AI for the environment?

Well, to be annoying, it’s complicated. The impacts of each data center depend on a slew of factors, including where it’s located, the kind of electricity that powers it and the technology it uses.

There is also a dearth of fully transparent and detailed data from AI providers, making it tricky to build an accurate picture of impacts. Instead, we rely on estimates.

To make the whole picture even more challenging, it’s difficult to project future impacts because there is so little certainty about how AI technology and demand will develop.

But here’s what we can say at the moment:

Noah Berger/AWS/Reuters

Training and running AI models require large amounts of computing power, and that takes a ton of energy.

AI’s energy efficiency is improving at a fast clip , but more people are using the technology and there’s been a boom in particularly energy-intensive forms.

Simple text queries, for example, typically use less electricity than a TV would over the same time period, according an analysis by the International Energy Agency. But, more energy-intensive applications, such as video generation, sometimes require thousands of times more energy. The electricity consumption of AI data centers surged by 50% last year, the IEA found.

Around 0.5% of the world’s electricity was consumed by AI data centers in 2025, according to an analysis from Our World in Data, which projects that figure will reach 1.5% by 2030.

It might sound small, but data centers are very geographically concentrated. Nearly half of their global electricity consumption happens in the United States, where data centers could account for up to 12% of electricity consumption by 2028 as AI rapidly expands, according to an analysis from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Because the world’s electricity is still dominated by fossil fuels, it adds up to more planet-heating pollution. There are big concerns that the AI boom is pushing climate targets even further out of reach .

Where a data center gets its power from is key; the more clean energy is on the grid, the lower its climate impact. Currently, global data centers are powered mostly by coal (30%), followed by renewables at 27% and natural gas at 26%.

As AI electricity demand soars, some is being met with clean energy, but there are also plenty of planet-warming fossil fuels in the mix.

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Natural gas is emerging as a key data center power source in the US. The country has the most gas-fired power capacity in development globally, with more than a third intended to power AI, according to a January report from Global Energy Monitor.

Data centers are increasingly building their own energy infrastructure to avoid straining local grids and driving up people’s bills. This often takes the form of gas turbines, which are less efficient than big power plants and can not only bring hefty climate impacts but also health costs , due to harmful air pollution, including nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter.

The public health burden of US data centers could reach $20 billion by 2028, according to one recent study .

There’s an oft-cited statistic that a 100-word email generated by an AI chatbot requires about one bottle of water — just over 2 cups — to produce.

But there’s another estimate, from Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, who says the average ChatGPT query uses about one fifteenth of a teaspoon of water.

So which is right? As with many data center impacts, it depends on context and on what people choose to measure.

Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters

AI data centers use water directly to cool their equipment, but also indirectly to create the power on which they run.

The water impacts of an individual data center will depend on its specific circumstances: the technology it uses, the kind of energy it relies on and the local water situation.

Some regions, for example, have plentiful water resources; others face high stress. Around two-thirds of data centers built or in construction in the US since 2022 are in areas of water stress , according to a 2025 Bloomberg analysis.

Tech companies say they are introducing measures to slash water use, including by developing new cooling technologies. Some analysts say water concerns have been vastly overestimated and that the burger you eat or cotton shirt you wear require much more water.

But AI’s water impacts are far from minimal. US data centers could consume up to 110 billion gallons a year by 2030, equivalent to 7% of total annual consumptive use in US public water systems, according to a March analysis by scientists from the University of California, Riverside and other institutions.

Indirect water use for electricity could push this figure much higher. A recent report from Ceres, a nonprofit advocacy organization, analyzed data centers across seven states and found they used around 3.4 trillion gallons of freshwater a year for electricity generation, equivalent to roughly 12 times the annual water use of Los Angeles, Phoenix and Washington, DC, combined.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Some of the key concerns people have about data centers revolve around quality of life impacts — including noise pollution.

Data centers can produce a cacophony of noises: the low thrum of cooling systems, the drone of gas turbines or diesel generators and the humming of equipment.

Some communities have filed noise pollution lawsuits, including residents near a huge data center in Vineland, New Jersey.

There are steps data centers can take to reduce their impact, including soundproofing equipment and the building itself. Some experts are urging state and local governments to beef up noise regulations.

There are also fears the data centers could create “heat islands,” warming the air and land around them — a phenomenon that would add to the temperature rises already happening due to fossil fuel pollution.

A study by scientists at Arizona State University found data center heat pollution in Phoenix warmed downwind neighborhoods by as much as 4 degrees Fahrenheit.

“Even if these data centers only contribute to an additional heat island magnitude of 1 degree or 2 degrees, that can still have a very significant impact on our lives,” said lead author David Sailor, director of ASU’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning.

More research is needed, however, to really pin down these impacts, and some experts argue there is little difference between a data center and any other industrial facility when it comes to heat.

Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

One of the more overlooked aspects of AI are the minerals and metals it requires, including for semiconductors and data storage components.

Mining for these raw materials, often in the Global South, has been linked to air and water pollution, deforestation, human health risks and climate pollution.

And as AI scales and advances, it will generate electronic waste, a rapidly-growing waste stream that is toxic if not disposed of properly. Currently only about a fifth of e-waste is recycled.

There’s also concern that AI’s demand for these minerals put it in direct competition with sectors that are critical for reducing planet heating pollution, namely wind and solar energy.

Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images

Experts say AI’s environmental harms are not locked in. Instead, its impacts will depend on the choices we make: Where data centers are located, how they are powered, how they are regulated, how transparent AI providers must be about impacts along their full supply chains.

Before a new AI data center is built, it needs to be clear “who benefits from it,” said Kaveh Madani, director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. That includes asking questions like: Does it bring jobs? Will it improve the local economy? Will it take water from local users who need it more, like farmers?

“There are trade-offs like any other technology,” Madani said. “It has has downsides that need to be regulated, monitored, and mitigated.”

CNN’s Isabelle LaBianco and Jennifer Agiesta contributed reporting.

Fred Greaves/路透社

人工智能的惊人崛起已成为一个政治热点，尤其是在训练和运行人工智能所需的数据中心方面。

随着建筑行业的蓬勃发展，许多人越来越担心这些庞大建筑对环境的影响，从它们似乎永无止境的水和能源需求，到它们产生的热量和噪音。

根据 SSRS 在 9 月份进行的 CNN 民意调查，近 90% 的美国人表示，他们对人工智能数据中心的兴起更多的是担忧而不是兴奋。

各种信息和统计数据铺天盖地而来，一些团体将人工智能数据中心的蓬勃发展视为潜在的环境灾难，而另一些团体则认为这些担忧被夸大了，甚至是无稽之谈。种种信息交织在一起，令人困惑。

那么，人工智能对环境究竟有多大的危害？

说实话，情况很复杂。每个数据中心的影响取决于诸多因素，包括其地理位置、供电方式以及所使用的技术。

此外，人工智能供应商提供的完全透明且详细的数据也十分匮乏，这使得准确评估其影响变得困难。因此，我们只能依赖估算。

更棘手的是，由于人工智能技术和需求的发展前景非常不确定，因此很难预测未来的影响。

但目前我们可以说的是：

诺亚·伯格/AWS/路透社

训练和运行人工智能模型需要大量的计算能力，而这会消耗大量的能源。

人工智能的能源效率正在快速提高，但越来越多的人正在使用这项技术，而且能源密集型应用领域出现了蓬勃发展。

国际能源署的一项分析显示，例如，简单的文本查询通常比电视机在相同时间内消耗的电量要少。但是，像视频生成这样能耗更高的应用，有时所需的电量是文本查询的数千倍。国际能源署发现，去年人工智能数据中心的电力消耗激增了50%。

根据 Our World in Data 的一项分析，2025 年人工智能数据中心消耗了全球约 0.5% 的电力，预计到 2030 年这一数字将达到 1.5%。

数据中心看似规模不大，但实际上它们的地理位置非常集中。全球近一半的数据中心电力消耗都发生在美国，根据劳伦斯伯克利国家实验室的一项分析，随着人工智能的快速发展，到2028年，数据中心的电力消耗可能占美国电力消耗总量的12%。

由于全球电力仍然主要依赖化石燃料，这加剧了全球变暖的污染。人们非常担心人工智能的蓬勃发展会使气候目标更加遥不可及。

数据中心的电力来源至关重要；电网中清洁能源的比例越高，其对气候的影响就越小。目前，全球数据中心主要依靠煤炭供电（30%），其次是可再生能源（27%）和天然气（26%）。

随着人工智能电力需求的飙升，一部分电力需求正在通过清洁能源得到满足，但其中也包含大量导致全球变暖的化石燃料。

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天然气正成为美国数据中心的重要能源来源。据全球能源监测机构（Global Energy Monitor）1月份发布的一份报告显示，美国目前在全球开发建设的天然气发电装机容量最大，其中超过三分之一将用于人工智能领域。

为了避免给当地电网造成压力并推高用户电费，数据中心正越来越多地建设自己的能源基础设施。这通常采用燃气轮机，但燃气轮机的效率低于大型发电厂，不仅会带来严重的气候影响，还会因有害空气污染（包括氮氧化物和细颗粒物）而造成健康成本。

根据最近的一项研究，到 2028 年，美国数据中心给公共卫生带来的负担可能达到 200 亿美元。

有一项经常被引用的统计数据显示，人工智能聊天机器人生成的一封 100 字的电子邮件大约需要一瓶水——略多于 2 杯水——才能生成。

但 OpenAI 的首席执行官 Sam Altman 给出了另一种估计，他说 ChatGPT 的平均查询大约使用十五分之一茶匙的水。

那么哪个才是正确的呢？就像许多数据中心的影响一样，这取决于具体情况以及人们选择衡量哪些指标。

巴勃罗·桑胡埃萨/路透社

人工智能数据中心直接用水来冷却设备，同时也间接用水来产生运行所需的电力。

单个数据中心对水资源的影响取决于其具体情况：它使用的技术、它依赖的能源类型以及当地的水资源状况。

例如，有些地区水资源丰富；而另一些地区则面临水资源短缺的困境。彭博社2025年的一项分析显示，自2022年以来，美国已建成或正在建设的数据中心中，约有三分之二位于水资源紧张的地区。

科技公司表示，他们正在采取措施大幅减少用水量，包括开发新的冷却技术。一些分析人士则认为，人们对水资源问题的担忧被大大高估了，你吃的汉堡或穿的棉质衬衫都需要消耗更多的水。

但人工智能对水资源的影响远非微不足道。加州大学河滨分校和其他机构的科学家在3月份的一项分析中指出，到2030年，美国数据中心每年可能消耗高达1100亿加仑的水，相当于美国公共供水系统年度总用水量的7%。

间接用于发电的水资源消耗可能会使这个数字更高。非营利倡导组织Ceres最近的一份报告分析了七个州的数据中心，发现它们每年用于发电的淡水量约为3.4万亿加仑，相当于洛杉矶、凤凰城和华盛顿特区年用水量总和的约12倍。

布莱恩·斯奈德/路透社

人们对数据中心的一些主要担忧集中在对生活质量的影响上，包括噪音污染。

数据中心会产生各种各样的噪音：冷却系统的低沉轰鸣声、燃气轮机或柴油发电机的嗡嗡声以及设备的嗡鸣声。

一些社区已提起噪音污染诉讼，其中包括新泽西州维内兰市一家大型数据中心附近的居民。

数据中心可以采取一些措施来减少其对环境的影响，包括安装隔音设备和改善建筑本身。一些专家正在敦促州和地方政府加强噪音监管。

人们还担心数据中心可能会造成“热岛效应”，使周围的空气和土地变暖——这种现象会加剧化石燃料污染已经造成的气温上升。

亚利桑那州立大学的科学家进行的一项研究发现，凤凰城的数据中心热污染使下风向的社区气温升高了多达 4 华氏度。

“即使这些数据中心只导致额外的热岛效应达到 1 度或 2 度，也仍然会对我们的生活产生非常重大的影响，”主要作者、亚利桑那州立大学地理科学与城市规划学院院长大卫·塞勒 (David Sailor) 说。

然而，还需要进行更多研究才能真正确定这些影响，一些专家认为，就散热而言，数据中心与任何其他工业设施之间几乎没有区别。

Gina Ferazzi/洛杉矶时报/Getty Images

人工智能领域一个容易被忽视的方面是它所需的矿物和金属，包括半导体和数据存储组件所需的矿物和金属。

这些原材料的开采，通常发生在南半球，与空气和水污染、森林砍伐、人类健康风险和气候污染有关。

随着人工智能规模的扩大和技术的进步，电子垃圾的产生量也将迅速增长，这种垃圾若处理不当会产生毒害作用。目前，只有大约五分之一的电子垃圾得到回收利用。

人们还担心人工智能对这些矿物的需求会使其与对减少全球变暖污染至关重要的行业（即风能和太阳能）形成直接竞争。

Sandy Huffaker/AFP/Getty Images

专家表示，人工智能对环境的危害并非不可逆转。相反，其影响将取决于我们所做的选择：数据中心的选址、供电方式、监管方式，以及人工智能供应商在其整个供应链中对环境影响的透明度。

联合国大学水、环境与健康研究所所长卡维·马达尼表示，在新建人工智能数据中心之前，必须明确“谁将从中受益”。这包括提出诸如以下问题：它能创造就业机会吗？它能改善当地经济吗？它会占用当地更需要用水的用户（例如农民）的水资源吗？

“任何技术都有利弊，”马达尼说。“它也有需要监管、监测和缓解的缺点。”

CNN的伊莎贝尔·拉比安科和詹妮弗·阿吉斯塔也参与了报道。