Planned AI Data Centers Could Reverse 15 Years of US Emissions Cuts

Nov 1, 2026
A Sierra Club analysis projects US grid emissions of 2.1 billion tons of CO2 by 2030 if planned AI data centres open on schedule, up 42% from 2025.

A new analysis by the Sierra Club, first reported by Bloomberg, projects that the US power grid will emit 2.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide by 2030 if currently planned AI data centre projects enter operation as scheduled, Futurism reports. That would undo nearly 15 years of US pollution reduction efforts, as a wave of data centres powered by gas plants enters construction.

The analysis puts the likely rise at 42% over five years, an increase of 618 million tons compared with 2025, itself a near-record year for US carbon emissions. "The numbers continue to sort of boggle our minds," Jeremy Fisher, the Sierra Club's principal advisor for climate and energy, told Bloomberg.

Because of bottlenecks in the electrical grid, many data centre developers have opted for on-site or near-site power plants, which are overwhelmingly fuelled by fossil fuels. The Sierra Club is an environmental group that campaigns on climate and energy.

We hope you enjoyed this article

Consider subscribing to one of our newsletters like Silicon Brief or Daily AI Brief.

Also, consider following us on social media:

AI Chips & Datacenters AI Brief AI Brief (X)
Free newsletter

Silicon Brief

Weekly coverage of AI hardware developments including chips, GPUs, cloud platforms, and data center technology.

Guide
AI interconnect and networking startups

AI interconnect and networking startups

29 private startups developing the chips, optical switches and memory fabrics that move data through AI infrastructure.

Industry analysis

2025 Global Business Services Agenda: Gen AI Takes Center Stage

The Hackett Group

This industry analysis by The Hackett Group explores the transformative impact of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) on global business services (GBS) in 2025. The study highlights the shift from exploration to acceleration of Gen AI initiatives, with 89% of executives advancing these projects to improve customer satisfaction, innovate products, and reduce costs. The report also discusses the challenges and strategies for successful Gen AI adoption, emphasizing the need for a technology-enabled operating model and the importance of reskilling the workforce.

Read more

You may also like

Free, six days a week

Daily AI Brief: the AI news that matters, in your inbox.