A wave of gas-powered data centers entering construction could erase nearly 15 years of US pollution-reduction progress, according to a new Sierra Club analysis. Major bottlenecks in the electrical grid have pushed many developers toward power plants on or near their sites, and those plants overwhelmingly burn fossil fuels.
The analysis, first reported by Bloomberg, puts US energy-grid emissions at 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030 if the country’s currently planned AI developments begin operating on schedule.
If the AI industry and data center developers get their way, emissions will likely climb 42 percent in five years, an expected increase of 618 million tons over 2025 levels. That comparison starts from what the source describes as an already near-record year for US carbon emissions.
“The numbers continue to sort of boggle our minds,” Jeremy Fisher, the Sierra Club’s principal advisor for climate and energy, told Bloomberg.
The local effects of fossil-fueled generation are already apparent at projects such as Elon Musk’s 1.2-gigawatt data center near Memphis. Its fleets of methane generators are reportedly leaving nearby residents choking on fumes. Legal experts say the generators violate local permitting requirements and federal environmental regulations.
But not every planned project will necessarily get built. The number of data center projects at risk of cancellation is rising precipitously as time goes on, driven by grassroots opposition and mounting financial pressures.
For activists challenging data centers in their communities, that offers some hope for cleaner air. The article’s broader argument is that preventing a hyperscale facility from being built can have benefits well beyond its immediate neighbors by helping avert the projected emissions increase.
