A gigantic new AI datacentre to be built in Lincolnshire is projected to release five times the carbon dioxide of Birmingham airport. A planning application for the facility has been submitted to the local council. The public consultation is open for another three weeks.
Now, the Guardian have reported that the projected emissions of the facility run into shocking numbers:
Documents estimate the datacentre would consume 3.7bn kWh of energy, with annual CO2 emissions of 857,254 tonnes when running at full tilt. This is based on the current mix of energy sources powering the National Grid.
The datacentre is set to be built nine miles east of Scunthorpe. It would cost a whopping £10 billion to build. Part of the hefty price tag is due to the 15 computer warehouses it would take to power the facility.
AI datacentre behemoth
The Yale School of the Environment published its research into just how much energy it takes to power AI in comparison to traditional computing. They found that:
A.I. use is directly responsible for carbon emissions from non-renewable electricity and for the consumption of millions of gallons of fresh water, and it indirectly boosts impacts from building and maintaining the power-hungry equipment on which A.I. run.
A major problem that researchers currently face is that the rapid development of AI hasn’t been accompanied by the rapid development of research that examines the full impact the use of AI has on the environment. Some scientists believe that eventually AI will be able to massively reduce the environmental impact it has over time:
Making a resource less costly sometimes increases its consumption in the long run.
But, this is only one part of a much larger puzzle. Already, there are emerging conflicts with AI and everyday people:
To cool delicate electronics in the clean interiors of the data centers, water has to be free of bacteria and impurities that could gunk up the works.
That means AI datacentres compete to use the same water that people need to drink and survive with. So much so, that, as David Berreby writes:
For example, in The Dalles, Oregon, where Google runs three data centers and plans two more, the city government filed a lawsuit in 2022 to keep Google’s water use a secret from farmers, environmentalists, and Native American tribes who were concerned about its effects on agriculture and on the region’s animals and plants.
Whatever impact they might have in the future, it is evident that AI datacentres require a massive amount of electricity and water in order to function.
Environmental concerns
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said in April 2025 that:
AI is a tool, potentially an incredibly powerful one, but it is up to us – our societies, governments and companies – how we use it.
However, that analysis must come with a note of caution. The “us” that Birol refers to is more accurately made up of business and government. It is a different question altogether how much global capitalism will bother to listen to everyday people, whether they’re environmental activists or not.
The Guardian reported that:
One datacentre today consumes as much electricity as 100,000 households, but some of those currently under construction will require 20 times more.
Given the planet is failing at tackling the climate crisis by almost any metric, there surely cannot be much trust held that AI will eventually yield solutions. One landmark international study saw a research team evaluate global climate policy measure in 41 countries between 1998 and 2022. They found that 96% of climate policy since 1998 has failed.
It simply isn’t realistic to rely on either governments or businesses to make choices with AI that protect the planet and the people that live on it. There isn’t any more can to kick down the road. At no point have governments or businesses meaningfully prioritised the planet over profits. Why would they suddenly start doing so when it comes to an AI boom that also promises huge profits?
Enter Starmer
The current Labour government have made bold promises to make Britain what they call an “energy superpower.” Starmer has promised that the UK will set a goal of reducing emissions by 81%. However, Starmer’s commitment to AI flies in the face of that promise. Labour have also committed to bring a 20-fold increase in AI computing power. Which will win out? The lure of capitalist geopolitical power, and business interests or the reality of saving the planet and the people that live on it?
Troublingly for Labour, Friends of the Earth have already put the government on notice. Mike Childs, head of science, policy, and research at Friends of the Earth, said:
The government has a legal duty to deliver on climate targets – no amount of political manoeuvring can change that. With the planet already warming to a dangerous degree, extreme weather costing lives and livelihoods, and the UK’s current and future prosperity hanging in the balance, Friends of the Earth will, if necessary, go to the high court to ensure the UK delivers on its legal obligations.
Should anyone need the reminder, that’s the same Friends of the Earth who took the last conservative government to court over their failure to reach energy targets – and won.
Whilst AI is complex, the choice is searingly simple: people and planet, or business?
Featured image via the Canary
