Air pollution caused by AI tech could lead to 1,300 U.S. deaths annually by 2030, researchers say
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Air pollution already kills millions of people and more data centers could add to the burden, scientists warn. While AI offers significant benefits, Wierman stressed that “we need to make sure that we have our house in order, and that the negative impacts that come from it are recognized, quantified, minimized, and shared equitably.”.
![[Meta’s Facebook data center is seen in Eagle Mountain, Utah, last July. Meta and others are working to open new data centers to support AI ventures]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/26/17/GettyImages-2161943746.jpg)
The authors recommend that tech companies should be required to report the air pollution caused by their power generation and usage, in addition to compensating communities that could be hit the hardest by air pollution from the data centers. Air pollution from AI would disproportionately affect certain low-income communities, although the pollution drifts across county and state lines, they noted.
In some areas, the public health costs of these centers may exceed what the tech companies pay for electricity, the researchers found. Those costs are approaching an estimated $20 billion a year, the report said. Those health costs were estimated using statistical methods developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, and account for known epidemiological risks associated with air pollution from power plants and backup diesel generators.
“As your administration considers how to support this technology, we urge you to uphold critical clean air and water standards and ensure that the energy needs of technology companies are not prioritized over the needs of households,” Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse, Brian Schatz, Peter Welch, Ed Markey, and Elizabeth Warren wrote.
