water consumption
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AI's hidden energy and water costs remain untracked
As AI technology expands, its immense energy and water consumption go largely unreported, raising concerns about environmental impacts and utility costs.
In short:
- AI applications significantly increase energy consumption, with Google's AI search features potentially consuming as much power as Ireland.
- Lack of transparency from tech companies hinders accurate tracking of AI's energy and water use, complicating regulation efforts.
- Utilities and ratepayers often bear the costs of the infrastructure needed to support AI, exacerbating existing environmental and economic issues.
Key quote:
“It’s difficult to reckon with the physical harms of artificial intelligence, [because] tech companies invisibilize the consequences of these systems, most people don’t have to think about it.
— Brian Chen, policy director at the nonprofit Data & Society
Why this matters:
Understanding and regulating AI's resource consumption is important for mitigating its environmental impact and ensuring that costs are fairly distributed, but the tech industry has been reluctant to accept greater transparency and oversight. Read more: How artificial intelligence can help save us from air pollution.
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Credit: Water Alternatives Photos/Benjamin Noury/Flickr
India’s mega plan to connect its rivers raises big questions
India's ambitious project to link its rivers may provide solutions to water shortages but could also cause significant environmental and social disruptions.
In short:
- India plans to launch a $168 billion project to connect its rivers, aiming to address water shortages and improve irrigation.
- Experts warn that the project could displace half a million people, submerge vast tracts of land, and disrupt natural monsoon patterns.
- Critics argue that the government has not adequately considered alternative, less disruptive water management strategies.
Key quote:
[The] “initial assumption, is that river basins are independent systems and output from one … can be used to feed the other. [But] changes in one can lead to changes in another.”
— Tejasvi Chauhan, water engineer and biosphere modeler, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry.
Why this matters:
This project could reshape India’s water management but might exacerbate environmental issues and displace communities, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions in tackling water crises. Read more: The planet is losing free-flowing rivers. This is a problem.
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