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All AI Data Centers Under Construction Could Emit as Much CO₂ as 24 Million Cars
(www.gadgetreview.com)
this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
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Technology
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As someone that has worked in data centers and now is working adjacent to data centers (and I make a higher salary because of data centers), greenhouse emissions isn't so much the problem.
The bigger problem is that planned data centers are are demanding more power than exists on the grid. This is setting us back from our plans to greenify the grid, like the article mentioned, it's causing coal plants to remain open.
While there will be a need for data centers, and even AI data centers, the reality is that we are in an AI bubble right now. While probably near every data center in existence right now, will probably continue to be operated, many of the data centers being built in the next 5 will not. Understanding where the data center industry will be in 5 years is key to understanding how we should maintain and improve our grid. Right now we are on a path to rolling blackouts, and that will increase emissions too, and generally make life worse for everyone.
You say we like it's everyone. It isn't.
My province in Canada had the electricity provider cap how much gets allocated to new data centers per year at a sustainable number.
Regulation instead of outright bans are the correct path forward.
I'm just going to leave the quote from the first key article take away (the second full sentence after the headline) to justify my use of the word "we"
Are you saying that states can't regulate this? They absolutely can.
Nah. I'm agreeing with you that AI data centers aren't as much of a problem in Canada because it appears that they are regulating them.
Except for Alberta, which totally tracks because it's the Texas of Canada.
K