Data centers could send US climate pollution skyrocketing
Gas plants built for data centers are poised to undo more than a decade of climate action.
by Justine Calma
Oct 29, 2026, 5:10 PM UTC
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Justine Calma is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home, a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals.
The US power sector could release 42 percent more planet-heating carbon dioxide pollution by 2030 than it did in 2025 as it builds out more fossil fuel infrastructure to meet data center electricity demand, according to a new analysis by the Sierra Club. That would essentially wipe out 15 years of greenhouse gas reductions.
CO2 emissions from electricity generation would increase by 618 million tons by the end of the decade if planned...
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