To switch or not to switch? Clean energy alternatives demand more energy as AI fuels unsustainable mining practices

 

A new debate has emerged about technologies that have become popular as the preferred pathways towards enabling countries to enhance climate change mitigation initiatives.

It is emerging that these technologies, particularly electrification using renewable energy sources, and the expanding influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) pose serious threats to the same environment they are seeking to protect. AI data centres have become some of the largest consumers of electric power, potentially surpassing global manufacturing.

A new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted that the annual energy demand by AI data centres will be slightly more than that which is used by Japan over the same period by 2030. Data centre’s demand for energy is principally driven by the need for cooling of servers and other computing accessories. Due to increasing demand for tools such as Chat GPT, data servers are increasing their data processing capacity and hence requiring more energy to cool them down. In the US for example, the AI industry’s electricity consumption is already projected to surpass electric power demand by manufacturing by 2030.

The World finds itself in catch 22-situation as a result.

Most of us have come to accept that the use of renewable energy in place of fossil fuels and tapping into AI for more efficient production confer benefit to efforts combat the harmful effects of climate change. Whereas the logic of using renewable energy is clear to most, hidden challenges relate to mobility that is powered by electricity generated from renewable sources, one of the best examples being Electric Vehicles (EVs).

What may not be obvious to most is that batteries for storing energy for propelling EVs are made of materials generally referred to as Rare Earth Elements (REEs). The mining of these materials is highly complex. Also, many of them can only be found in places where radioactive minerals such as Uranium and Thorium are in abundance, posing a serious health risk to local populations due to the threat of radiation contamination. Additionally, processes for extracting the materials require the use harmful chemicals and large amount of water, which raises the risk of polluting ground water sources, an additional threat to public health.

Geopolitics of REEs

The other contentious issues revolve around geopolitics. Today, China controls more than 70 per cent of global production of REEs. It is the only country with a fully autonomous REE value chain. Concern by Western countries about this situation stems from the fact that China has the capacity to disrupt global supply chains for these materials driving up costs and creating shortages that can paralyse the entire renewable energy sector in the rest of the world.

The current dilemma around AI is that the technology has become a key catalyst for innovation, including those related to energy efficiency. The world is also relying on AI-driven innovations to come up with battery technologies less dependent on REEs, which will lead to reduced pressure to mine them, hence reducing the resultant environmental damage. In the meantime, many countries are staring at the prospect of reverting to recently abandoned use of unsustainable modes of power generation such as the use of petroleum products and coal, that are drivers of Greenhouse Gas (GHGs) emissions that cause global warming.

The IEA Report is quoted[1] as noting that countries that want to benefit from the potential of AI need to quickly accelerate new investments in electricity generation and grids, improve the efficiency and flexibility of data centres, and strengthen the dialogue between policy makers, the tech sector and the energy industry. It is only through figuring how all the increasingly complex intervening factors can be addressed so that global aspirations such as those relating to Net Zero targets will remain feasible.

The race towards automation, which is partially fueled by AI, is pointing to a situation where communities that will fall behind may face another new divide between the AI “haves” and the “have nots,” something that needs to also take the frontline as technology increasingly takes over many areas of human endeavour.

 


[1] https://www.iea.org/reports/global-energy-review-2025

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Know your numbers: May Measurement Month targets hypertension crisis

  As the global community marked the World Hypertension Day on 17 th May 2025, the national spotlight has turned to the unfolding public health crisis of rising incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Kenya, particularly hypertension. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) NCDs, which are also referred to as chronic diseases, are ailments not transmitted directly from one person to another. Whereas they are still not the leading cause of disease and death in Kenya, these conditions are contributing significantly to the increasing economic and human resource loss burden and, therefore, undermining the country’s social and economic development. Responsible for 39 per cent of deaths in Kenya, NCDs have become one of the biggest public health concerns. According to the MoH, 30 percent of Kenyans have hypertension and majority are not aware, hence why it is referred to as the silent killer. If not well controlled, hypertension leads to the most common life-threaten...
Read more

Vietnam Gas Boss was on point: Ruto must put off the mic and put on the power

  A message that has been going around on social media authored by Mr. Doanh Chau, President of Vietnam Gas makes very sobering reading. Having recently met with both President William Ruto and the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, Mr. Chau makes observations that have immense sense to any right-thinking Kenyan and African. His readers can reasonably deduce that Mr. Chau’s company may have received some kind of expression of interest from President Ruto and his senior officials about investing in Kenya. The conversations revolved around energy and about Kenya’s future— investment, infrastructure and public housing. The very honest summation of the Vietnamese’s impression of the two gentlemen, which he referred to as the “painful truth” was clear. He observed that the ideas being fronted by the Kenya Kwanza Government are very lofty and good. However, they are just that. Ideas. In his words, “there is no serious execution culture”. He goes ahead to identify the core rea...
Read more

Trump’s comeback could slow global efforts to manage the climate crisis

The historic comeback by Donald Trump to the US Presidency, a country which is the world’s second largest source of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, after China, is a major potential setback for global efforts to combat climate change. Trump, whose climate scepticism is well known globally, adopted the mantra “drill baby drill,” while on the campaign trail. The implication is that he would remove any restrictions for drilling and use of fossil fuels in the US that have so far been justified on the basis of getting America to increase its share of renewable energy and, therefore, reduce emissions that are responsible for global warming. In effect, Trump was openly denying, as he has done in the past, the scientific evidence that the climate change being experienced today is the result of human activities. This despite indisputable proof by no other than the highly respected Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that most GHGs emission is as a result of use non-renewable fossil...
Read more