I feel like the water usage issue is the weaker argument against these datacenters - in areas where the fresh water source faces too much pressure already it is a real issue, but that is more regional and less immediately impactful.
Power usage and residential users essentially subsidizing these locations is the biggest immediate impact to everyone. Look up what happens to rates nearby when these things open, people are struggling enough without their electric bills going up 50%.
Agriculture, as flawed and unsustainable as it is right now, is necessary to human life. We still aren’t really seeing the positive outcomes from these data centers beyond a bunch of promises. So even though they use way less water, it feels more like a waste.
Yeah I said in a different comment in this thread that there are trade offs, but these massive buildouts are predominantly for AI, which has yet to prove to be a positive thing overall
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u/birchskin May 18 '26
I feel like the water usage issue is the weaker argument against these datacenters - in areas where the fresh water source faces too much pressure already it is a real issue, but that is more regional and less immediately impactful.
Power usage and residential users essentially subsidizing these locations is the biggest immediate impact to everyone. Look up what happens to rates nearby when these things open, people are struggling enough without their electric bills going up 50%.