Data centers may reverse decade of US climate gains
Carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector could jump 42 percent by 2030 due to increased fossil fuel capacity built for AI demand.
By Ricardo Kovalenko ·
New analysis from the Sierra Club indicates that US power sector carbon dioxide emissions could rise by 42 percent by 2030 compared to 2025 levels.
The group attributes this projected increase to the construction of new fossil fuel infrastructure designed to meet electricity demands from data centers. If planned artificial intelligence projects are built, emissions from electricity generation would grow by 618 million tons by the end of the decade. This amount equates to the annual carbon pollution from the electricity use of 128,788,523 homes.
US net greenhouse gas emissions declined from a peak of 6.58 billion metric tons in 2007 to 5.35 billion metric tons in 2025. However, the trend reversed last year as data centers drove up electricity demand. The Trump administration is currently encouraging the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure for these facilities while rolling back pollution regulations and delaying renewable energy projects.
A separate report from the Environmental Defense Fund published this month states that the US is planning to build more fossil fuel capacity than it has in ten years. Academic researchers published a different forecast in June that projected a 28 percent increase in power sector emissions by 2030 if data centers and crypto mines expand. The Sierra Club’s estimate is higher than that June study, with the final outcome depending on which projects are completed and the technology used to power them.
The Sierra Club notes that the projected 618 million ton increase would effectively erase 15 years of previous greenhouse gas reductions. The data centers are poised to undo more than a decade of climate action efforts.
Source: The Verge
