Data centres turn to gas to power AI at expense of climate

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More than 100 data centres in the UK plan to use natural gas to fund their operations, putting the government’s net zero targets in danger. Future Energy Networks, which represents natural gas suppliers, said it had received requests that amounted to upwards of 15 terawatts of energy each year. This would power London for more than four months. In March, North Lincolnshire council approved a single data centre that could produce emissions equivalent to every domestic flight in the UK. Eleven US data centres alone are capable of generating more greenhouse gases than the entire country of Morocco. AI poses a number of societal risks, but its impact on the climate is among the most cataclysmic and least appreciated.