started · updated
AI-driven fossil fuel productivity could spike global emissions
Research published in npj Climate Action suggests that artificial intelligence could drive a significant increase in global fossil fuel emissions by enhancing productivity in oil and gas extraction and refining.
Former Microsoft sustainability experts Will and Holly Alpine estimate that AI-enabled emissions could rise by between 1.2% and 4.8%. At the higher end of this range, the increase would be comparable to the annual emissions of Russia. The authors argue that these indirect emissions, referred to as ‘enabled emissions,’ could outweigh the environmental benefits AI provides to the renewable energy sector and exceed the projected emissions from data center growth alone.
Entities
Holly Alpine · Microsoft · Nature · Will Alpine · npj Climate Action
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] AI-driven fossil fuel emissions are projected to exceed the emissions caused by global data center expansion. www.merca2.es · grist.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] The low-end emission increase is equivalent to Mexico's annual emissions, while the high-end is equivalent to Russia's. www.merca2.es · grist.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] AI-enabled emissions could increase global energy emissions by between 1.2% and 4.8%. www.merca2.es · grist.org
- [● 2 SOURCES] The emissions increase from AI-driven fossil fuel productivity outweighs the benefits AI provides to renewable energy development. www.merca2.es · grist.org