A surge in data centre construction could wipe out the carbon savings from the country’s switch to electric cars next year, according to new research.
Analysis by tech justice group Foxglove and environmental charity Global Action Plan, reported in The Observer, warns that just 10 of the 100-plus planned data centres could pump out almost 2.75 million tonnes of CO₂ a year — nearly the same as the 2.9 million tonnes saved in 2025 from people ditching petrol and diesel cars.
The report claims the data centre boom risks turning one of Britain’s biggest green success stories into a net-zero setback.
While electric vehicles are cutting tailpipe emissions, the massive power demands of servers running AI, cloud computing and streaming could undo those gains.
The National Energy System Operator now expects data centres to consume 71 terawatt hours of power by 2050 — double earlier forecasts and equal to today’s entire commercial energy use.
Campaigners say the government has no clear plan for managing that surge or forcing transparency on developers.
Developers’ own figures reveal a gaping gulf in carbon estimates.
QTS, which plans an 1,100-megawatt “hyperscale” complex at Cambois in Northumberland, claims it will emit 180,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year. Greystoke, building a slightly smaller site in Elsham, Lincolnshire, predicts more than 850,000 tonnes.
Both figures highlight how little oversight there is of the sector’s climate impact.
A Foxglove spokesperson commented: “The tech giants want Britain to be the home of AI, but that comes with a huge hidden carbon bill.”
The study urges ministers to introduce strict reporting rules and tie planning approval to renewable energy guarantees.
