High school English teacher Christa Forster opened her computer and navigated to Flint K12, an AI platform designed for schools. “Create a fun and informative activity that helps students understand how to disclose their use of AI in an academic paper,” Forster typed.
Within seconds, four polished paragraphs appeared on her screen.
Scenes like this are becoming increasingly common in classrooms across the country as artificial intelligence reshapes the structure of learning. From refining essays to generating study guides, AI tools are transforming how teachers and students work, create and think.
But as this seemingly magical technology becomes embedded in everyday life, questions about its broader effects, particularly its environmental impact, are drawing growing global attention.
WHAT IT TAKES TO POWER AI
International organizations, including the UN Environment Programme, have begun warning that AI’s growth may come with a significant environmental cost.
In a recent report, the organization noted, “Governments are racing to develop national AI strategies but rarely do they take the environment and sustainability into account. The lack of environmental guardrails is no less dangerous than the lack of other AI-related safeguards.”
The numbers tell a story about AI’s potential impact.
A 2025 report published by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute has stated that by 2030, the world’s nearly 11,000 AI data centers are projected to consume 1,050 terawatt-hours of electricity, which is about 12% of the total annual energy use in the U.S.
Behind every chat, essay draft, and image generation is a vast, unseen network of data centers, which are specialized facilities designed to house the high-performance infrastructure needed to power various AI models.
To support the tremendous usage of AI tools, the computer servers in these facilities need to operate around the clock. As a result, the intensive levels of computation in the centers generate significant heat so systems such as liquid cooling are used to maintain temperature, which consumes large amounts of water.
This hidden demand can add up quickly. In regions already facing dry conditions, such as the western US, the strain is especially evident. For instance, a Google Data Center in Dalles, Oregon, used 29% of the city’s total water supply over the course of a year, sparking public concern and outrage, as mentioned in The Oregonian.
A study by The University of California, Riverside has estimated that by 2027, AI-related infrastructure may consume more water globally than the entire nation of Denmark, a country of six million people.
GROWING CONCERN AMONG YOUTH
While the data may feel abstract, the impact could be much closer to home than many realize because the technology driving consumption of environmental resources is in the hands of people every day through chat messaging, image generation, and search queries.
That connection has prompted discussions among student leaders and sustainability advocates in schools and universities.
“The demand for more cheap energy to power AI data centers could set back progress in decarbonizing the energy grid if we don’t switch to cleaner energy sources,” said senior Julia Godinich, a student leader involved in sustainability initiatives at her school.
Many student groups hope that raising awareness will encourage more thoughtful use of AI technologies.
“It’s a relevant topic, and it’s actively shaping the world,” Godinich said. “It’s important to understand the environmental cost of such a powerful tool that’s becoming a bigger part of our lives.”
For some students, the conversation highlights a broader question about the balance between technological innovation and environmental responsibility.
“It concerns me,” high school senior Maithreyi Asthagiri said. “There is always a price to pay for innovation.”
OPTIMISM FOR PROGRESS AND INNOVATION
As AI becomes part of daily life students are beginning to confront a new challenge: how to innovate responsibly without deepening environmental costs. (HS Insider)
Still, others see the conversation from a different angle, noting AI’s capacity to evolve in comparison with other technologies.
“AI’s environmental impact isn’t negligible, but it’s not as large as some may believe,” said Vinnie Vrotny, a director of innovation and technology in education at Kinkaid School.
Vrotny pointed to a 2025 International Energy Agency report comparing AI’s energy footprint to other industries. While AI will increase electricity demand, its share remains smaller than sectors such as manufacturing.
For example, the report shows that from 2024-2030, the increase in electricity demand by data centers may be 100 to 300 fewer terrawatt hours than the industries of other technologies, such as electric cars and air conditioning.
Vrotny said he sees today’s concerns as part of a familiar technological pattern, noting that when the steam engine first appeared, it too generated large amounts of waste.
“Over time, we learned to use resources more efficiently,” he said. “AI is in that same early phase. We’re only three years out from ChatGPT’s release, so we’re still learning how to make it efficient.”
He compared the current wave of enthusiasm to what technologists call the “hype cycle,” a curve that begins with inflated expectations, dips into disillusionment, and then rises into lasting productivity.
“We’re at the upper edge of that curve,” Vrotny said. “Eventually, the technology will stabilize, and companies will learn to better allocate resources over time.”
Some signs of progress have already become visible. Developers have explored ways to make AI models more efficient by using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind in data centers to reduce the use of fossil fuels.
Tech companies, such as Microsoft, have even been experimenting with water-free cooling systems.
According to a 2024 statement on the company’s website from Mr. Steve Solomon, Microsoft’s vice president of data infrastructure engineering, new chip-level cooling solutions promise to “avoid the need for more than 125 million liters of water per year per [Microsoft] data center.”
“There are solutions to these problems,” Godinich said. “It may just take time for the technology to catch up.”
PREPARING FOR AN AI-DRIVEN FUTURE
In schools, the conversation about AI is increasingly shifting beyond what the technology can do to how it should be used responsibly.
Educators across the country are beginning to incorporate AI literacy into curricula, encouraging students to think critically about both the benefits and consequences of emerging technologies.
Many schools are developing guidelines to help students understand ethical AI use, transparency in academic work, and the societal implications of rapidly advancing technology.
“This technology is part of something much bigger,” Vrotny said. “AI is not just a game changer for education. I think it’s going to be a societal game changer.”
