California data center health impacts tripled in 4 years

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside found that health impacts from pollution associated with California's data centers tripled from 2019 to 2023 and could rise by another 72% by 2028 unless mitigation policies are enacted. The report recommends actions like phasing out diesel generators and setting siting and emissions standards to prioritize clean power and minimize health impacts. Data centers are consuming increasingly large portions of California's electricity, projected to reach 12% of U.S. electricity demand by 2028. The environmental burden includes air pollution from diesel generators as well as massive water consumption for cooling and electricity generation.