[Free] Environmental Impacts Of Data Centers
A beginner guide to the environmental impacts of data centers in the age of AI.
Requirements
- No prior background in data centers or AI required! This is course is designed for beginners to intermediates who wish to learn about the environmental impacts of data centers. It would be helpful to have a basic understanding of climate science and energy policy, but we can learn together along the way.
Description
Data centers are the foundation of the digital world. This infrastructure is powering everything from cloud storage to the explosive growth of artificial intelligence (AI). But behind the screens, these facilities come with significant environmental consequences that most communities are not even aware of.
In the Environmental Impacts of Data Centers 101 course, you will learn to analyze the environmental impacts of data centers using a life cycle assessment (LCA) perspective that goes beyond what you see in the news. This will include energy, water, land use, carbon emissions, global supply chains, e-waste concerns, ecological impacts, and environmental justice case studies. Whether you work in tech, sustainability, policy, or are just curious about how AI systems operate behind the scenes, this course gives you the clarity and frameworks to understand these impacts from end-to-end.
This course is accessible, engaging, and grounded in real examples. No technical background required, just curiosity about how data centers work along with their environmental impacts. Brief disclaimer that the course image was sourced from Better Images of AI with Gloria Mendoza being the author of the image and is licensed for use under Creative Commons. The website link can be provided upon request, it will not let me attach it in the course description.
Author(s): Nathaniel Burola
