Similar to the backlash crypto mining received for its heavy energy usage, concern about the ecological ramifications of AI data centers is now drawing its share of negative press.

A new study published in Science Advances, University of California, Santa Barbara, shows that atmospheric rivers have shifted about 6 to 10 degrees toward the two poles over the past four decades.

Los Angeles faces extreme heat, with record temperatures of 49°C in 2020, and could become increasingly uninhabitable without urgent action. However, with innovation, the city could transform into a sustainable environment where water is fully recycled and residents have sufficient shade and cooling. Here’s a glimpse at what life could look like if we get it right.

People in Costa Blanca, Spain, lined up for bottled water in August as a severe drought made tap water unsafe to drink. Hotter summers and a rapidly growing tourism business are compounding the problem.

Recent reports suggest that the drastic AI growth is coming at the cost of inflating the water crisis. An unfathomable amount of water (gallons and gallons of it) is used to cool high-performing hardware that powers AI systems globally. The bigger concern is that a lot of this water is coming from areas with lower levels of freshwater.

Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $179 million will be invested in water reuse projects across the American West. According to CleanTechnica, these projects will be centered in California and Utah, areas that often struggle with drought.