The Climate Cost of AI Prophecies: How Data Centers Fuel Big Fossil w/ Ketan Joshi
Show Notes
Tech companies keep telling us that the answer to solving climate change lies in AI. Meanwhile, the data centers required to power AI are keeping coal plants open longer, bringing in gas turbines, and driving plans for power stations bigger than anything we’ve built before.
More like this: The Colossus Crossroads: Fighting for the Future of Memphis w/ KeShaun Pearson
In this episode, Ketan Joshi, an independent climate analyst based in Oslo who tracks the climate impact of data centers and AI, explains how we got from facilities that drew the power of a suburb to facilities that consume as much electricity as Nigeria’s entire power grid.
A former wind industry advocate, Ketan breaks down how a company can claim to run on 100% renewable energy while still driving up fossil fuel use, why Big Tech stopped talking about offsets and started promising that AI itself will solve the climate crisis, and what you find when you read the footnotes of their sustainability reports.
He also argues that the real winners of the AI boom aren't even the tech companies... but fossil fuel companies like Chevron, who still come out ahead even if the bubble pops.
Further reading & resources:
- Ketan Joshi’s Big Tech Annual Emissions + Energy Data Reports
- The AI Climate Hoax Report — Ketan Joshi
- The real energy use of agentic AI — Zeke Hausfather
- Microsoft and Chevron plan one of the largest gas-powered data center projects in US — TechCrunch, June 2026
Join The Maybe Collective for our first event: How to Resist AI in Schools: Learnings on Local Action with recent podcast guest, Ifeoma Ozoma on Thursday, October 15th 12-1pm ET for a participatory conversation about turning activation into action. This event is free to register HERE.
Computer Says Maybe is produced by Kushal Dev, Marion Wellington, Van Newman, and Zoe Trout.
Transcript
Tech companies keep telling us that the answer to solving climate change lies in AI. Meanwhile, the data centers required to power AI are keeping coal plants open longer, bringing in gas turbines, and driving plans for power stations bigger than anything we’ve built before.
More like this: The Colossus Crossroads: Fighting for the Future of Memphis w/ KeShaun Pearson
In this episode, Ketan Joshi, an independent climate analyst based in Oslo who tracks the climate impact of data centers and AI, explains how we got from facilities that drew the power of a suburb to facilities that consume as much electricity as Nigeria’s entire power grid.
A former wind industry advocate, Ketan breaks down how a company can claim to run on 100% renewable energy while still driving up fossil fuel use, why Big Tech stopped talking about offsets and started promising that AI itself will solve the climate crisis, and what you find when you read the footnotes of their sustainability reports.
He also argues that the real winners of the AI boom aren't even the tech companies... but fossil fuel companies like Chevron, who still come out ahead even if the bubble pops.
Further reading & resources:
- Ketan Joshi’s Big Tech Annual Emissions + Energy Data Reports
- The AI Climate Hoax Report — Ketan Joshi
- The real energy use of agentic AI — Zeke Hausfather
- Microsoft and Chevron plan one of the largest gas-powered data center projects in US — TechCrunch, June 2026
Join The Maybe Collective for our first event: How to Resist AI in Schools: Learnings on Local Action with recent podcast guest, Ifeoma Ozoma on Thursday, October 15th 12-1pm ET for a participatory conversation about turning activation into action. This event is free to register HERE.
Computer Says Maybe is produced by Kushal Dev, Marion Wellington, Van Newman, and Zoe Trout.
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