Jacob (Jack) Scheff joins Queen City News to discuss the environmental impact of data centers
Jacob (Jack) Scheff, Ph.D., associate professor in UNC Charlotte’s Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, was interviewed by Queen City News for the segment “How can data centers potentially impact our environment?”
Data centers are expanding rapidly across the Carolinas as demand for artificial intelligence accelerates, raising concerns about their environmental footprint. These facilities already use an estimated 4.4% of all U.S. electricity, a share projected to more than double by 2030.
“All of this new electric usage will lead to more fossil fuels being burned, so that could potentially reverse decades of progress on getting CO₂ emissions down,” said Scheff.
Local concerns
As more data centers are proposed, regulators and utilities face questions about water usage, localized heating and long‑term energy sources. Many of the largest approved facilities in the Carolinas are still under construction, leaving major environmental impacts unresolved and prompting calls for stricter reporting and planning requirements.
“Some studies have come out showing that released heat into the environment from the data center can actually make the temperatures in the neighborhoods right downwind of the data center maybe a degree or two hotter than they would have been,” Scheff said.
Air cooling releases heat from the data centers into surrounding areas, while liquid cooling requires large volumes of water, which is a concern in regions like the Catawba River basin where withdrawals could affect other users.