Instead of quickly winding down energy use to a sustainable level — as scientists say we *must* do — capitalism is taking us in the opposite direction.
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Experts warned a few years ago that the world had to stop building new fossil fuel projects to preserve a livable climate.

Now, artificial intelligence is driving a rapid expansion of methane gas infrastructure — pipelines and power plants — that could have devastating climate consequences if fully realized.

As large language models like ChatGPT become more sophisticated, analysts predict US energy demands will grow by a “shocking” 16% in the next five years. Tech giants like Amazon, Meta, and Alphabet have increasingly turned to nuclear power plants or large renewable energy projects to power data centers that use as much energy as a small town.

But those cleaner energy sources will not be enough to meet the voracious energy demands of AI. To bridge the gap, tech giants and fossil fuel companies are planning to build new gas power plants and pipelines that directly supply data centers.
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FULL ARTICLE -- https://heated.world/p/ai-is-guzzling-gas

#Environment #Climate #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Capitalism #AI