Artificial intelligence may feel invisible—lines of code, algorithms, “the cloud.” But behind the digital curtain are massive AI-powered data centers, physical giants that consume water, electricity, and land at alarming rates. Now, a proposed Mooresville Technology Park near Huntersville, Mooresville, and Kannapolis, North Carolina puts local communities directly in the path of this expansion.
Residents are right to ask: What’s the true cost of powering AI, Facebook, Google, and even ChatGPT?
A Growing Threat in Our Backyard
In Iredell County, plans to rezone 400 acres for a new technology park have sparked unease. Officials have paused the project pending further review, but the questions remain: Who benefits—and who pays the price? (WFAE, 2025).
Communities across the U.S. have already seen what happens when mega–AI centers arrive. From Oregon to Tennessee, residents report higher utility bills, declining air quality, and in some cases, land seized or rezoned against their wishes. The pattern is clear: tech profits flow upward, while local costs sink deep into the soil, water, and lungs of nearby families.
Environmental & Health Hazards of AI Data Centers
1. Water: The Lifeblood at Risk
- A single AI-enabled data center can use up to 5 million gallons of water per day—the equivalent of 50,000 people’s needs (AP News).
- In 2022, AI data centers consumed 580 billion gallons of water globally, primarily for cooling (Food & Water Watch).
- Models predict withdrawals will hit 4.2–6.6 billion cubic meters by 2027, more than the UK’s annual usage (arXiv).
For North Carolina, where communities depend on wells, aquifers, and farms, this isn’t just wasteful—it’s existential. As one Tennessee farmer near a data hub lamented: “They drained our land dry, and then billed us for the privilege.”
2. Electricity Demand & Air Pollution
- In the U.S., data centers consumed about 4% of total electricity in 2023—56% of it from fossil fuels (arXiv).
- This produced 105 million tons of CO₂e, adding to climate stress and public health burdens.
- Fine particles (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) released from increased power generation are linked to asthma, heart disease, and premature death.
Projected health costs may exceed $20 billion annually by 2030 (San Francisco Chronicle, arXiv).
3. Noise Pollution & Land Disruption
- The hum of cooling systems is described as “like standing next to an airplane engine 24/7” (Wikipedia).
- Construction transforms farmland into industrial wastelands, breaking ecosystems and local economies (USF Blogs).
4. E-Waste & Mining
- By 2030, AI servers could create 5 million metric tons of e-waste—12% of global totals (Wikipedia).
- Hardware demands rare minerals like cobalt and lithium, often mined under destructive and exploitative conditions.
Voices of Resistance: Communities Push Back
The NAACP has called for guiding principles requiring transparency, legal accountability, and community benefit agreements for AI data centers (The Verge).
Journalists from Teen Vogue, AP News, and The San Francisco Chronicle have amplified stories of ordinary people: towns where air quality plummeted, water bills spiked, and promises of jobs turned hollow.
In Tennessee, residents near a major data center said they were pressured into selling land or faced rezoning battles. One community member put it bluntly: “We lost our farms for machines that don’t feed people.”
Beyond Tech: A Pattern of Poison
The AI data center issue is not isolated. It fits into a wider web of systemic poisoning:
- Food: Heavily processed ingredients, artificial additives, and forced pesticide use.
- Air: Unregulated emissions from factories and industrial farms.
- Water: Contaminants from both industry and neglected infrastructure.
Whether through government inaction or corporate lobbying, ordinary families are left with poisoned food, poisoned air, and poisoned water—and now, poisoned land for AI expansion.
Conclusion: Will We Be the Peasants or the Protectors?
The titles practically write themselves:
- When AI Invades: Our Land at Risk, Our Water Drained
- The Poisoned Cloud: How Meta-Scale AI Threatens North Carolina’s Heart
- Data Centers or Disaster Zones?
- Peasants vs. Processors
Each points to the same question: Are we willing to sacrifice our health, resources, and communities for an unregulated AI gold rush?
The cloud isn’t weightless. Its costs land squarely on our soil, our lungs, and our wallets.
It’s time for North Carolinians—and all Americans—to demand true oversight, sustainability, and justice before another acre is lost.
References & Resources
- WFAE. Proposed Mooresville Technology Park Faces Delays and Pushback (2025).
- AP News. AI Data Centers’ Thirst for Water (2023).
- Food & Water Watch. Artificial Intelligence’s Hidden Water and Climate Costs (2025).
- IEEE Spectrum. The Dirty Side of the Cloud (2023).
- The Verge. NAACP Principles on Data Centers (2024).
- San Francisco Chronicle. The Neighborhood Cost of AI Centers (2024).
- Wikipedia. Data Center Environmental Impact (2024).
- arXiv Studies on AI Energy and Water Use (2023–2025).
Disclaimer
This article is based on publicly available research, journalistic investigations, and the author’s interpretation. It is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to review cited sources and consult local experts for deeper analysis.
About the Author
A.L. Childers (Audrey Childers) is a journalist, blogger, and author of multiple works exploring health, environment, and social justice. Born and raised in the Carolinas, she writes to uncover hidden truths that impact everyday people. Her books include The Hidden Empire: A Journey Through Millennia of Oligarchic Rule and Silent Chains: Breaking Free from Conformity and Injustice.
The HypothyroidismChick.com , blends personal experience with investigative reporting, giving voice to issues too often buried beneath corporate and political interests.
