Opinion: AI is destroying our planet. We must act to check its growth and save ourselves.

"Evidence shows that AI's carbon emissions last year were equivalent to the entirety of New York City; and consumption of freshwater resources from 2025 alone exceeded the global consumption of bottled water. Corporate AI's destructive impacts on our planet are only set to expand. Consider that by 2034, the data centers that power AI are expected to consume as much energy as all of India, the world's most populous country with over 1.5 billion people."

"Big tech's AI systems rely upon vast amounts of minerals, water and energy, all of which have a very real physical footprint. The prices we pay for energy and drinking water are increasing, and new data centers are straining existing energy grids. The increased energy costs are being passed onto everyday households."

"AI companies are relying on dirtier energy and jeopardizing their climate pledges. These companies are directly contributing and accelerating a climate and affordability crisis, threatening our access to the basic resources we rely upon to survive. AI is strip mining our planet and ourselves because it is built upon surveillance without compensation for our personal data."

AI systems generate substantial environmental costs hidden from public view. In 2024, AI's carbon emissions equaled New York City's total output, while 2025 freshwater consumption surpassed global bottled water usage. Data centers powering AI require vast mineral, water, and energy resources with tangible physical consequences. By 2034, AI data centers are projected to consume energy equivalent to India's entire usage. Tech companies increasingly rely on dirtier energy sources, contradicting climate commitments and straining existing grids. Rising energy costs burden households through increased utility prices. Despite promises from tech leaders that AI will solve climate and affordability crises, machine learning cannot overcome material reality constraints. AI's surveillance-based model extracts personal data without compensation, compounding exploitation.

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