How AI Quietly Drives Climate Change

In this Earth Day episode, I pull back the curtain on the hidden environmental cost of our digital lives. From streaming videos and sending emails to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence, I explore how the internet, often perceived as clean and intangible, is powered by massive, energy-hungry infrastructure that relies heavily on fossil fuels. I walk through the surprising math behind data centers, AI energy consumption, and e-waste, while challenging the narrative that tech is inherently sustainable. This episode isn't about guilt, it's about awareness, accountability, and asking better questions about the future we're building.

What You'll Learn

• Why the internet produces 2–4% of global carbon emissions, rivaling the aviation industry
• How data centers consume massive amounts of electricity, enough to power millions of homes
• The hidden carbon cost of everyday actions like streaming, emailing, and searching online
• The environmental trade-offs of moving our lives online
• Whether AI is actually helping fight climate change, or making it worse
• What policies and systemic changes could meaningfully reduce tech's environmental impact
• How to think critically about digital consumption without falling into guilt-based thinking

Quote from the Podcast

"The invisibility of digital pollution is not a coincidence, it's a product of very deliberate branding."

🔗 Explore more on our website: mathsciencehistory.com
📚 To buy my book Hypatia: The Sum of Her Life on Amazon, visit https://a.co/d/g3OuP9h

 

 🎧 Enjoying the Podcast?

☕ Support the Show: Coffee!! PayPal

Leave a review! It helps more people discover the show!
Share this episode with friends & fellow history buffs!
Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform

Check out our merch: https://www.mathsciencehistory.com/the-store

Music: All music from Pixabay is public domain and has no Copyright and no rights reserved.
Selections from The Little Prince by Lloyd Rodgers

Until next time, carpe diem!