GoKawiilSierra Club: US power sector CO2 could rise 42% by 2030 on data center growth
A new Sierra Club analysis projects that US power sector carbon dioxide emissions could climb 42 percent between 2025 and 2030, driven by fossil fuel plants built to supply electricity for AI data centers. The group estimates this would add 618 million tons of CO2, roughly equal to annual emissions from over 128 million homes, erasing about 15 years of prior emissions cuts. A separate June academic study estimated a smaller 28 percent rise, while the Environmental Defense Fund reported this month that planned US fossil fuel capacity additions are the highest in a decade.