As part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, according to The New York Times. In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data center will 'be powered by new on-site generation that won't raise electricity costs for Texas families.' (Data centers face growing political opposition for a number of reasons, including their effect on electricity costs.) AI has already had a significant impact on Amazon's carbon emissions, which it reported were up 16% last year ' the wrong direction for a company that pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. And that could get worse as Amazon and tech companies back the development of huge natural gas plants to support their power-hungry data centers.
learn more
