Coming electricity crunch thrusts AI into the climate political wars

Plus, Claudia Sheinbaum's climate moment with President Biden

In today’s edition:

— With AI electricity usage surging, and extreme heat hitting this summer, power demand is about to become a major political issue

— Mexico’s new president offers key climate opportunity for Biden team

— New greenhouse gas center with tools and data unveiled. Watch the video.

— California bans Chinook salmon fishing for a second year to increase stocks

— The history of electric vehicles goes back a lot farther than you might think

This photograph, captured by an astronaut aboard the ISS while orbiting over Newfoundland, Canada, offers a captivating perspective as the sun sets along the northeastern U.S. New York, Washington, and Philadelphia can be seen. Photo: NASA Earth Observatory.

As extreme heat bites in Southern Florida and Texas this week and power demand surges, the emerging issue of AI electricity usage in new data centers is quickly becoming a major political issue.

We’ve written before about how power demand was an issue in local elections in Virginia last year, which is home to the largest U.S. data center cluster. But this week the House Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security took up the issue in the first Congressional hearing on what demands mean to the nation’s three electric grids.

AI data centers are forecast to create a ten-fold increase in energy usage in the U.S. by the end of the decade, after years of relatively stable demand. Combine that with extreme heat starting to bite, and a major hurricane season coming, and you’ve got the makings of significant grid disasters this summer just as the election picks up steam.

Extreme heat and hurricanes are already putting major pressure on insurers, and ultimately on bank mortgages as the cost of complying with new green regulations to save energy moves down the chain.

But when the lights start going out and it’s 110 degrees outside, the issue will quickly move from an accounting debate to a major test for incumbent government officials at every level. How they respond will signal some major new trends in energy prices and corresponding investments. . . .

Don’t forget to contact me directly if you have suggestions or ideas at dcallaway@callawayclimateinsights.com.

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Claudia Sheinbaum. Photo: Eneas De Troya/flickr.

Mexico’s new president offers key climate partnership with Biden team