The Data Is Clear

As of August 2026, the United States currently has more than 3,300 operational data centers with nearly 1,500 in the works—by far, the most of any country in the world. In addition to causing more greenhouse gas emissions, higher electricity bills, and strained grid infrastructure, data centers can have significant environmental and public health harms. These include impacts on local water supply that stem from the facilities’ large-scale demand for energy and water to continuously power and cool thousands of servers and equipment; site impacts from enormous physical footprints; and noise impacts from continuous low-frequency humming from cooling equipment and backup generators. These impacts can be devastating to local communities if not proactively addressed, prioritized in development decisions, and subjected to rigorous, legally enforceable safeguards. 

NRDC’s new issue brief will explore the potential health and environmental impacts caused by data center development in the United States and propose recommendations for policymakers and communities to respond to the large-scale build-out of data centers.