Is the UK drifting away from its net-zero goals to become an AI leader?
- Angela Bordonada
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
As the UK rushes to brand itself as a global AI powerhouse, one issue is strikingly absent from the discussion: the environmental cost. The data centres needed to fuel this ambition carry a heavy footprint, one that sits uneasily with Britain’s net-zero commitments.
What is net zero, and what is the UK’s plan?
Achieving net zero means ensuring that the total greenhouse gas emissions produced are fully offset by the amount removed from the atmosphere.
The UK government has introduced several strategies to reduce these emissions, starting with the Climate Change Act (2008), where long-term emission reduction targets were set, including reaching net zero by 2050.
Under the Paris Agreement (2015), the UK, along with nearly 200 other countries, agreed to set their own Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), including an emission reduction of 68% by 2030 and 81% by 2035, compared to 1990 levels.
More recently, the UK government has rolled out certain policies to achieve these goals, including ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030, offering grants to swap boilers for low-carbon heating systems such as heat pumps, and introducing low-emission zones in cities.
Is the UK any closer to reaching these goals?
Latest figures from 2023 show the lowest greenhouse gas emissions on a residence basis, meaning UK residents and UK based businesses, at 479 million tonnes, 43% lower than in 1990.
Consumer expenditure remains the largest figure, accounting for 25.4% of total emissions, followed by the energy industry at 15.5% which has seen the highest decrease in emissions, at 66% since 1990.Other industries, such as agriculture, have remained relatively flat, which is attributed to the emissions of methane, where the agriculture industry remains the largest emitter, accounting for 52.4% of UK emissions in 2023.
However, all the progress being made by the UK might be at risk of downfall since the introduction and rapid growth of AI centres.
What are AI data centres?
AI centres are defined as specialised facilities designed to run demanding AI workloads, such as machine learning. A recent estimate from Morgan Stanley predicts that £2.2 trillion will be spent in AI data centres between now and 2029. If we put this data into perspective, the total value of the UK’s GDP in 2024 was £2.8 trillion, meaning the investment in AI is almost the same as an entire economy’s value.Recent news estimated that 100 new AI data centres will be built in the next few years in the UK, most of which will be for Microsoft, which recently announced a £2.2bn investment in the UK’s AI industry.
Unlike traditional data centres, AI data centres are optimised with high-density computing, specialised hardware, massive storage, and high-speed networking to handle the intensive data processing and complex algorithms required for AI applications. In AI data centres, every metre between chips counts, so AI processing cabinets are squeezed together to eliminate delays and maintain the rapid performance needed for AI. These cabinets consume gigawatts of power, producing spikes in electricity similar to thousands of homes switching plugs on and off in unison every few seconds.
On top of the electricity spikes, the immense use of water to cool toiling chips is one of the main worries for governments and energy providers. Taking Anglian Water as an example, after the announcement of a proposed AI data centre in Lincolnshire, the utility company refused to provide water as “they are not obliged to supply water for non-domestic use” and suggested the use of recycled water.
How much do AI factories actually consume?
Big corporations seem to be ecstatic about AI data centres, the government appears to be excited about the money these centres will generate, utility companies seem worried about consumption, and the general public seems confused as to how these centres will impact the planet and their lives. Latest figures from the Government Digital Sustainability Alliance’s (GDSA) report state that AI is predicted to lead to an increase in global water usage from 1.1bn to 6.6bn cubic metres by 2027. This is equivalent to more than half of the UK’s total water usage. Once the water is used for cooling, it cannot be reused since fresh water that does not evaporate becomes contaminated with dust and chemicals, making it unsuitable for consumption. The UK government indicates that demand for fresh water is expected to exceed supply by 40% by 2030, and nearly 68% of data centres are near protected or biodiversity areas, which rely on clean water and are now at high risk of pollution, meaning much of the local
water may be unsafe for use.
Is the environmental impact of these data centres already becoming clear?
Absolutely.
There are 16 data centres in Scotland, and this number is planned to increase yearly. At the moment, these centres are using 13.5 million litres of tap water yearly, with Scottish Water defining the increase in water usage as significant. If we do the maths quickly, each AI centre consumes 0.84 million litres of water yearly; therefore, if the UK wants to build 100 data centres, that will account for 84.375 million litres of water per year. In May 2024, Microsoft opened a data centre in La Esperanza, Mexico, and ever since, residents have reported more frequent power cuts and water outages. Hospitals in the area have been mainly affected, performing minor surgeries with flashlights or unable to provide oxygen to the elderly. Although Microsoft claims that they have no record of their data centres causing outages and that the electricity in the area was already unstable, the electricity load of the centre is up to 12.6 megawatts, the equivalent used to power roughly 50,000 Mexican homes throughout the year.
Ireland is said to be THE data centre capital of the world, with approximately 89 centres, and 40 recently approved that will shortly be under construction. These data centres consume 18% of the country’s electricity, which powers every scroll on social media and every question we prompt into ChatGPT. According to The Journal Investigates, since 2005, these data centres have emitted 181,553 tonnes of CO2, the vast majority coming since 2017 as more and more data centres are set
up. To put that figure into perspective, that is equivalent to the gases emitted by 4,500 cars per year. If we think critically, the urge to build AI centres comes from the United States, where companies such as Meta, OpenAI and Alphabet can’t seem to get enough of them. But to the surprise of no one, nearly 60% of the largest data centres worldwide are outside the USA. The nation at the forefront of “progress” seeks to avoid the environmental and social costs associated with AI data centres, leveraging its political and economic influence to impose these burdens on other countries. So the question to be asked here isn’t if companies should stop investing in AI data centres, as these centres are an inevitable aspect of our modern digital world, but whether countries can accommodate them without leading to an ultimate climate catastrophe. In the end, the question is whether the UK still believes it can lead in AI while staying true to its net-zero goals. I guess we will have to wait and see.
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