As Dallas builds more data centers, UN report warns of environmental cost
A new report from the United Nations University Institute warns about the environmental impact of data centers, particularly regarding energy, water, and land use. The findings are highly relevant to the Dallas area, which is a major data center market with over 230 facilities. Experts emphasize the need for local governments to utilize zoning and planning tools to mitigate these impacts.
A report by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, published on June 3, highlights the severe environmental toll of data centers, particularly concerning their energy, water, and land consumption. The study estimates that by 2025, global data centers will consume electricity equivalent to powering 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa for over two years, and by 2030, they could use 9.3 trillion liters of water.
The findings are particularly pertinent to the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, which hosts over 230 data centers and is a rapidly expanding market. Ian Seamans, city hall advocate for Environment Texas, noted that data center operations could eventually account for 3-10% of Texas's total water usage. The report also addresses social harms, such as the concentration of data centers in certain areas, leading to local communities bearing the environmental burden.
Examples like the Granbury area in Texas, where residents have reported persistent, disruptive noise from a data center, underscore the localized impacts. Researchers, including the report's lead investigator Kaveh Madani, acknowledge the challenge of developing policies quickly enough to keep pace with the exponential growth of AI and data center infrastructure. Venky Shankar, a professor at Southern Methodist University, likened this growth to an unstoppable train.
The report proposes six principles for minimizing adverse environmental impacts, including transparency, efficiency by design, and environmental justice. Seamans emphasized that local governments possess existing tools, such as planning and zoning authority, to manage data center development responsibly. He urged cities to define appropriate zoning categories or create new ones to regulate where data centers are built, ensuring they do not harm communities or the environment.