AI boom fuels "environmental justice" fears in communities of color

Civil rights groups are increasingly concerned that AI's rapidly spreading physical infrastructure is deepening climate burdens for communities of color. Massive data centers require vast quantities of water, energy, and land. Many of these centers are clustered in regions where marginalized communities already face higher levels of air pollution, industrial zoning, and climate vulnerability. Civil rights groups say these impacts resemble earlier patterns seen with highways, refineries, and manufacturing: pollution concentrated where political resistance is weakest and property values are lowest. Data centers can also consume millions of gallons of water per day and use as much electricity as a small city, driving up energy and water use costs for poor residents.