Environmental groups embrace AI, even as they warn of data center impacts
QQQ•Environmental groups are using AI for conservation and climate work while warning about data centers’ electricity use, water consumption and emissions. The International Energy Agency projects data centers will use 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030, while global water consumption could rise to 1.2 trillion liters a year.
1. AI aids conservation work
Environmental groups are using AI to analyze climate data, track fires and count wildlife, though they also voice concern about the environmental costs of the data centers powering the technology. Conservation International uses satellite alerts to help community forest patrols identify potential wildfires in Cambodia. Save the Elephants says AI can analyze aerial survey images in hours, compared with nine people taking nine months to review about 200,000 images in 2017.
2. Data center footprint
The International Energy Agency estimates global data centers will consume about 945 terawatt-hours of electricity annually by 2030, producing the equivalent of more than 300 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. It projects annual water consumption will rise from about 560 billion liters in 2023 to about 1.2 trillion liters by 2030.
3. Ways to reduce impacts
Some organizations are limiting resource-intensive AI uses or processing data on devices rather than sending it to centralized data centers. The World Resources Institute caches query results, while the Nature Conservancy processes fishing-vessel video aboard the vessels to reduce energy use and data transfers. Greenpeace International says it uses some AI tools but is pushing back against data center expansion.
