Someone mentioned on Facebook that the total energy used by AI is now equivalent to Japan’s entire energy consumption. Later, I read a blog post that said data centers alone consumed “almost 2 percent of global energy demand in 2022”[1] — and that this demand could double by 2026, which would make it roughly equal to the electricity use of all of Japan. That’s enormous!
AI is an incredible technology in so many ways. It helps doctors detect diseases, assists us on the road, makes planning easier, and helps us understand complex stuff. But it also comes with a massive environmental trade-off. And still, some people remain incredibly optimistic, believing AI will fix everything. Just a few days ago, The Washington Post [2] reported that the AI industry told U.S. lawmakers they must win the AI race — because, according to them, AI will solve the climate crisis. They literally said environmental concerns shouldn’t get in the way.
But honestly, when has humankind ever scaled anything back? We don’t reduce, we just keep adding. Look at electricity: even though we’ve developed green energy and nuclear power, we haven’t stopped using coal. We just added more sources to meet our growing need for electricity.
And it’s the same story everywhere. We introduce something new to improve an existing version, and then we need all the accompanying items — the accessories, upgrades, and subscriptions. It’s endless. Why can’t we break this vicious circle of constantly wanting more? It was probably important for our survival thousands of years ago. Today, things are different, and it’s depressing, because deep down, we know. We know that AI won’t save us from the climate crisis. It is just another technology add-on. We might delay the worst for a bit, maybe even a long time, but as the saying goes, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
The only real way to prevent this planet from overheating and the disasters that follow is to change how we live — and that includes everything from what we eat and say, to what we teach, to the stories we tell ourselves about progress, growth, and ultimately, happiness.
[1] https://www.vox.com/climate/2024/3/28/24111721/climate-ai-tech-energy-demand-rising
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/10/ai-race-china-energy-congress/
Tina Vrieler 
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