Although not many are aware, generative AI is a rapidly growing contributor to climate change. Global warming is already becoming a major global issue. Yes, generative AI can be useful, but is it really necessary? Are the damages that it can cause worth it? What can you do to help?

AI data centres are causing concerning levels of water depletion because they consume massive amounts of water for cooling. This often means that a lot of freshwater that can be used by surrounding communities and wildlife is instead used in these data centres, causing an increase in water scarcity. Additionally, more than half of the data centers built since 2022 are located in areas where water demand exceeds supply. The electricity usage of each data center contributes to water depletion because coal and gas plants also require large amounts of freshwater for cooling. It’s predicted that global AI-related infrastructure may soon consume around six times more water than Denmark, with a population of around 6 million, which is a problem because a quarter of the global population lacks access to clean sanitation and water.

AI data centers, especially generative AI, require a lot of energy to cool and power the complex electronics, which typically comes from burning fossil fuels, thus producing greenhouse gases. A request made through ChatGPT consumes 10 times the electricity of a Google Search. Data centers are expected to contribute to 20 percent of the global electricity usage by 2030-2035, which will put immense strain on power grids. For comparison, a conventional data center requires as much electricity as 10,000-25,000 households, while AI-focused data centers can consume as much power as 100,000 homes or more.

I urge the government to take action on this issue, whether it's applying stricter restrictions on the construction of AI-specific data centres or implementing more environmentally friendly cooling and electricity options, such as BESS or something like the NeuCool system by the company Accelsius.

Please sign this petition to hold our government accountable and preserve our environment.