Is artificial intelligence destroying the climate? | Green Left Show #84

There has been a massive investment in data centres to power rapid artificial intelligence growth around the world, but at what cost? On this episode of the Green Left Show we discuss the energy and water impacts of data centres, community opposition, and whether AI is a bubble ready to pop, or here to stay. Isaac Nellist is joined by Ketan Joshi, a climate and energy analyst based in Oslo, Norway; NSW Greens MLC Abigail Boyd, who is chairing the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into data centres; and Sanaa Shah, from the Sweltering Cities campaign group, which is looking into the impact of data centres on communities in Western Sydney. 0:00 Intro 1:42 Impact of renewable energy transition 12:47 Water consumption 22:22 Data centres in NSW 24:09 Largest data centre in the Southern Hemisphere 27:22 Impacts on the community 29:47 Other concerns 31:11 Are communities fighting back? 32:25 NSW Parliamentary inquiry into data centres 36:11 Pressure on governments 38:51 Is sustainable AI possible 45:11 Will the AI bubble pop? 52:05 Outro We acknowledge that this was produced on stolen Aboriginal land. We express solidarity with ongoing struggles for justice for First Nations people and pay our respects to Elders past and present. If you like our work, become a supporter: https://www.greenleft.org.au/support Support Green Left on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/greenleft Green Left online: https://www.greenleft.org.au/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/greenleftaction Twitter: https://twitter.com/greenleftonline YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/greenleftonline TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@greenleftonline Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenleftonline/ Podbean: https://greenleftonline.podbean.com/ Telegram: https://t.me/greenleftonline