5 Ways Data Centers Endanger Their Local Communities and the Nation as a Whole
Yves here. As many have argued, including your humble blogger, the unmet power and resource needs of AI will only accelerate our already accelerating trajectory toward climate disruption, resource depletion, and environmental destruction. So please continue to hate data centers early and often. This article adds a lot to an already long rap sheet.
The article argues that the harm they cause can be reduced. In a must-read article we’ve posted on Links before, Power failure is destined to destroy Wall Street’s AI, Ambrose Evans-Pritchard argues forcefully otherwise. Points with illustrations:
The threat of AI stock mania is not so much a lack of power – although that is very bad – but rather a global bottleneck of transformers, substations, switchgear, transmission lines and all the oddities we rarely think about, leaving aside the severe shortage of skilled workers in the US who can install and operate such kit.
One large campus in the data center area of Hays County, Texas – a place I’ve played golf (a poor youth) and know well – can use 10 million gallons of water per day for evaporative cooling and power generation, draining the Edwards Aquifer that also supplies the Austin-San Antonio corridor.
“Nobody’s talking about cooling; nobody’s talking about water,” said Majumder, speaking at a recent Marshall & Stevens conference on energy infrastructure. “Farmers are not going to be happy at all about you dumping their aquifer to cool.”
By Neha Gour, Ph.D. Candidate in Science Communication, George Mason University, Ed Maibach, Professor Emeritus of University Communication, George Mason University, and Luis Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, George Mason University. Originally published on The Conversation
Every internet search, video stream and AI-generated answer depends on a data center somewhere. Driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cryptocurrency, data centers have become the backbone of the modern digital economy. But while their primary role is to enable virtual and remote experiences, data centers are physical buildings in real communities across the country and the world.
The United States hosts more than 4,000 data centers – more than any other country. The US Department of Energy expects that, combined, all US data centers will use about 12% of all US electricity by 2028. By 2023, data centers used about 4.4% of total US electricity – about 176 terawatt hours.
In the US, Virginia has more data centers than any other state – more than 600, two-thirds of which are located in the northern part of Virginia in Washington, DC.
We study science communication, climate science and public health, so we wanted to understand how data centers in Virginia affect the people who live near them and the community at large.
We found that existing data centers affect nearby residents and the nation as a whole in five key areas: air quality, water quality, noise levels, land use and energy costs.
Air pollution
Data centers usually operate 24/7 and use large amounts of electricity, which must be generated somewhere – near the data center or far away.
When fossil fuels are burned to produce that energy, they release a variety of pollutants into the air, including those linked to lung disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke and neurological conditions. They also emit heat-trapping pollutants that cause global warming and climate change, which in turn worsens air pollution.
Power generation for US data centers in 2023 produced the equivalent of 2.2% of national greenhouse gas emissions. Some air pollutants released from the burning of fossil fuels are associated with an increased risk of ADHD and autism in children and risks of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults.
Unless the data centers energy comes from clean energy sources, such as solar, wind or geothermal, which generate electricity and pollute the air. People who live near fossil-fired power plants, whether in communities that also host data centers or in remote regions, are exposed to air pollution. And during power outages, local diesel generators kick in, releasing large amounts of air pollution that can harm data center workers and nearby residents alike.
Water Use and Pollution
Data centers need a lot of water to cool their servers. Globally, they are expected to use between 4.2 and 6.6 billion cubic meters of water per year by 2027. In the United States, data centers already rank among the top 10 water users.
In northern Virginia, data center water usage has increased dramatically. In Loudoun County alone, northwest of DC, potable water use by data centers doubled between 2019 and 2023, while areas in northern Virginia consumed nearly two billion gallons of water by 2023.
This demand can strain local rivers, groundwater and municipal water systems, even in regions like the mid-Atlantic that rarely experience drought, but especially in regions like the US Southwest that experience persistent drought.
Noise Pollution
The continuous operation of data centers means that cooling systems, including air chillers and cooling fans, produce a constant humming sound around the clock – as do any generators used to provide power.
In northern Virginia, some residents complained of a “drone” or “hum” from the industry. Measurements at the data centers that were the subject of the complaints found noise levels between 40 and 59 decibels in the residential area.
Those sound levels are quieter than a conversation with someone 3 feet away and not loud enough to damage people’s hearing or violate local noise regulations. But they are close to levels the EPA says reduce people’s ability to work, sleep and exercise. Some people complained that the data center noise gave them trouble sleeping and concentrating, and others said they avoided using the outdoor spaces of their homes, where the noise is loud.
Land Use and Social Welfare
Data center expansion often targets land near green spaces, agricultural areas or rural communities where developers can find affordable land with access to existing electricity.
Converting green space into industrial facilities can reduce the health benefits associated with being close to nature, including opportunities for physical exercise and mental well-being.
In Virginia, residents living near data center construction have reported increased exposure to truck traffic and diesel exhaust, which can contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular health risks, especially for children and the elderly. While these effects are typical for large construction projects, they can be magnified when several data centers are clustered together.
In places like Prince William County, Virginia, developers have proposed data centers on about 2,400 acres of undeveloped land in the Rural Crescent, an area designated by county planners to remain undeveloped. Those data centers can turn open space and rural farms into industrial zones, disrupting communities with long-standing ties to the land.
Rising Energy Costs
As data centers increase demand for electricity, they put upward pressure on energy prices across the grid. Virginia’s 2024 legislative report found that the state’s average electric bill could rise $14 to $37 a month by 2040 due to grid strain associated with data center growth — a 9% to 25% increase over current average bills, and a figure that doesn’t factor in potential inflation.
These high costs are paid by all consumers, but they put a heavy burden on families who are economically depressed, and who often have many health problems. Low-income households spend a higher share of their budget on electricity, and when bills rise, the consequences can include reduced access to adequate heating and cooling, increased risks of heat-related illness and cold-related heart disease, and difficult choices between paying for energy and food or health care.
What Can Be Done
Many of these health risks can be reduced with better planning and design.
Increasing the share of renewable energy used to power data centers will help reduce air pollution and related health damage.
Using recycled water in targeted systems that cool individual server rows or racks instead of entire buildings can significantly reduce the need for cooling energy, with one study estimating a reduction of up to 29%.
For noise, a data center in Leesburg, Virginia, reduced low-frequency tone noise by retrofitting its fans.
And on energy costs, requiring large data centers to cover the additional grid costs they create could help protect residential customers from higher electricity bills.
The world’s digital infrastructure runs between data centers, and that’s not changing. We believe that expanding this infrastructure without protecting the health of the surrounding communities is unacceptable.
