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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to question hosepipe bans while AI water use gets little scrutiny

113 replies

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 17:18

AIBU to think it’s ridiculous that there is a hosepipe ban and I cannot water my plants in this heat whilst I see hardly any discussions or questions raised about the massive drain on our water resources by AI?

OP posts:
JoyousOpalLemur · 25/06/2026 19:42

Serenity75 · 25/06/2026 17:37

Surely all of the data centres are in the USA? They don’t have any impact on water in Kent. It’s not like water is a resource that can be moved around from the Us to Kent!

They're all over the world including some in the UK.

Apparently streaming now uses up more energy than making tea and coffee.

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 19:50

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Insufferable mare to worry about the environment ? You are completely missing missing my point. This isn’t about my peonies. Climate change will also affect your son, so maybe start educating yourself about it a bit? 😊

OP posts:
spicysalad · 25/06/2026 19:53

MezeAndNibbles · 25/06/2026 18:26

I’ve read it, so you don’t have to…

Global and UK water consumption statistics for AI and data centres
The scale of water consumption by AI and data centres is significant and rapidly
increasing, posing a global challenge with direct implications for the UK.
Globally, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that the data centre sector
consumes over 560 billion litres of water annually. Projections indicate this figure could
rise dramatically, reaching as high as 1,200 billion litres by 2030.13

And I think that golf courses around the world use something like 3 trillion litres of water per year, and leaky pipes in the uk waste over 1 trillion litres per year.

AI will hopefully do a huge amount of good in the medical and scientific fields, can’t say the same about golf or leaky pipes.

aurpod1980 · 25/06/2026 19:54

AI uses less than a teaspoon of water per search

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 19:55

I don’t think it’s debatable that AI is contributing to climate change. I think that is a pretty established fact.

OP posts:
MaidMiriam · 25/06/2026 19:59

Backedoffhackedoff · 25/06/2026 18:22

Is there a way we could discuss that without needing to read 25 pages?

Get ChatGPT to summarize it? 😉

Vaxtable · 25/06/2026 20:00

Use a watering can

MezeAndNibbles · 25/06/2026 20:00

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 19:55

I don’t think it’s debatable that AI is contributing to climate change. I think that is a pretty established fact.

I initially clicked the agree emoji, but retracted it. I don’t think we can say that AI data centres are definitely contributing to climate change, but we need to monitor the situation. These centres are power and resource hungry. Can we sustain them? Probably not.

verdetortuga · 25/06/2026 20:02

Are you vegan? Because if you are not, and you are worried about water usage… well, your worries are very much misplaced. https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/devastating-water-footprint-animal-agriculture/163485/ (and yes, I am vegan for ethical and environmental reasons)

Telemicus · 25/06/2026 20:02

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 19:55

I don’t think it’s debatable that AI is contributing to climate change. I think that is a pretty established fact.

I mean, technically it is true, me lighting a single match would contribute to climate change a tiny bit. But the global impact of AI and data centers is still miniscule compared to global manufacturing, transport, concrete production, beef farming etc.

Thatcannotberight · 25/06/2026 20:04

You're probably right, but Kent has had hosepipe bans from before AI even existed.

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 20:04

verdetortuga · 25/06/2026 20:02

Are you vegan? Because if you are not, and you are worried about water usage… well, your worries are very much misplaced. https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/devastating-water-footprint-animal-agriculture/163485/ (and yes, I am vegan for ethical and environmental reasons)

Yes or vegetarian working towards becoming vegan like you. I can worry about more than one thing😊

OP posts:
Never2many · 25/06/2026 20:07

Bringing in a hosepipe ban after two days is a ridiculous overreaction. We had loads of rain over the past few weeks and on Monday night in fact and there is more forecast for next week.

Rather than just AI we need to be questioning why it is that the water companies are losing billions of gallons due to substandard infrastructure while charging the earth for their supply and their executives receiving fat bonuses.

It’s time people stuck two fingers up at these hosepipe bans which aren’t enforceable anyway. But it’s far easier for individuals to turn on each other rather than to question what’s really going on.

As for AI, I hope in five years time the majority of it has imploded. People seem to have no idea the damage which is being done by AI.

It’s estimated that a 3rd of jobs will be taken by AI. We’re raising a generation who will soon be illiterate non communicators because they just get AI to write their emails, their texts, they won’t need CV’s or cover letters because they won’t have jobs to go to.

The music industry will have died because currently the top artists on Spotify are AI generated from Suno and its ilk.

Great if you want to use it as a search engine, but a therapist? Something to write your emails? An imaginary friend? The sooner it dies the better.

Garamond55 · 25/06/2026 20:11

Never2many · 25/06/2026 20:07

Bringing in a hosepipe ban after two days is a ridiculous overreaction. We had loads of rain over the past few weeks and on Monday night in fact and there is more forecast for next week.

Rather than just AI we need to be questioning why it is that the water companies are losing billions of gallons due to substandard infrastructure while charging the earth for their supply and their executives receiving fat bonuses.

It’s time people stuck two fingers up at these hosepipe bans which aren’t enforceable anyway. But it’s far easier for individuals to turn on each other rather than to question what’s really going on.

As for AI, I hope in five years time the majority of it has imploded. People seem to have no idea the damage which is being done by AI.

It’s estimated that a 3rd of jobs will be taken by AI. We’re raising a generation who will soon be illiterate non communicators because they just get AI to write their emails, their texts, they won’t need CV’s or cover letters because they won’t have jobs to go to.

The music industry will have died because currently the top artists on Spotify are AI generated from Suno and its ilk.

Great if you want to use it as a search engine, but a therapist? Something to write your emails? An imaginary friend? The sooner it dies the better.

The mythical Ned Ludd has been transported to the 21st century

WearyAuldWumman · 25/06/2026 20:12

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 17:27

I am in Kent and yes I won’t let my plants die. It my question was more about why we don’t care about AI water usage which is a lot more damaging for the environment as a whole.

I don't understand how it all works, but people in Fife are up in arms about planning for some kind of AI plant here - water use has been cited as a major issue.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26167588.auchtertool-villagers-rally-600mw-fife-ai-data-centre-plan/

‘This is a national disgrace’: villagers pack village hall over AI data centre plan

HUNDREDS of people packed into a Fife village hall to show their concern over proposals for a massive AI data centre.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/26167588.auchtertool-villagers-rally-600mw-fife-ai-data-centre-plan/

hahabahbag · 25/06/2026 20:15

Use a watering can and for the future buy a water butt. Failing that move to my area, we didn’t have a ban last year despite everyone else around having one, not quite sure why but hey ho

Normallyinthepool · 25/06/2026 20:18

Serenity75 · 25/06/2026 17:37

Surely all of the data centres are in the USA? They don’t have any impact on water in Kent. It’s not like water is a resource that can be moved around from the Us to Kent!

Of course there are data centres in the UK
And a govt backed push for more

Cakeandcardio · 25/06/2026 20:19

Serenity75 · 25/06/2026 17:37

Surely all of the data centres are in the USA? They don’t have any impact on water in Kent. It’s not like water is a resource that can be moved around from the Us to Kent!

Nope! I live in a village in Scotland and we have one being built here.
Not what you would expect at all!
Although we also do not experience hose pipe bans.

wrinklycactus · 25/06/2026 20:21

OP, no, you cannot flout the hosepipe ban 'because AI data centres use water'.

There are currently no AI data centres in Kent.

There is a proposal for one, which is getting pushback from residents and is controversial. But currently, there are none.

Even if there WAS an AI data centre using lots of water, the correct way to go about this issue would be to write to your local MP, not to randomly decide that rules do not apply to you.

KateSixer · 25/06/2026 20:21

There is a lot of needless worrying here. And some worrying that should happen.

Both the planet generally and the UK specifically have plenty of water and could have plenty of power.

Water doesn't get "destroyed" it simply evaporates to later condense and fall as rain.

New technology (including AI) is making nuclear energy ever more safe.

The criticism that should be made is of our spineless politicians who have not allocated the resources they could have done to ensuring greater water and energy resilience in the UK.

Instead they have - you guessed it - borrowed heavily and spent it on benefits and similar short term (but popular) measures.

Their abject failure to invest shames them and leaves us and our kids to suffer the consequences.

Ed fucking Miliband as he is known in this house is just the latest in a long line of failures here.

MezeAndNibbles · 25/06/2026 20:24

KateSixer · 25/06/2026 20:21

There is a lot of needless worrying here. And some worrying that should happen.

Both the planet generally and the UK specifically have plenty of water and could have plenty of power.

Water doesn't get "destroyed" it simply evaporates to later condense and fall as rain.

New technology (including AI) is making nuclear energy ever more safe.

The criticism that should be made is of our spineless politicians who have not allocated the resources they could have done to ensuring greater water and energy resilience in the UK.

Instead they have - you guessed it - borrowed heavily and spent it on benefits and similar short term (but popular) measures.

Their abject failure to invest shames them and leaves us and our kids to suffer the consequences.

Ed fucking Miliband as he is known in this house is just the latest in a long line of failures here.

And this, boys and girls, is why we should be worried about ai. What a load of tosh.

AuntieDen · 25/06/2026 20:25

Ok, so someone else said this to a WhatsApp group im on the other day, and I appreciate that many people, like the one who said it there, may not have seen discussions about data centre water use until it was on GB news a week or so ago but I can assure you it has been a regular discussion point not only of people concerned about the environment and in technical forums but also on mainstream media including the BBC for a good couple of years.

The thing is, if you read mostly sources which are unconcerned about climate change, resource usage etc, then you won't read about stories about them until they happen to upset the agenda of those sources in some way.

And if you never actually read msm because its so terrible, then thats fine but you can't claim that a subject is not being discussed just because you dont see it because you dont look.

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 20:36

wrinklycactus · 25/06/2026 20:21

OP, no, you cannot flout the hosepipe ban 'because AI data centres use water'.

There are currently no AI data centres in Kent.

There is a proposal for one, which is getting pushback from residents and is controversial. But currently, there are none.

Even if there WAS an AI data centre using lots of water, the correct way to go about this issue would be to write to your local MP, not to randomly decide that rules do not apply to you.

Maybe read the thread again.

OP posts:
MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 20:38

AuntieDen · 25/06/2026 20:25

Ok, so someone else said this to a WhatsApp group im on the other day, and I appreciate that many people, like the one who said it there, may not have seen discussions about data centre water use until it was on GB news a week or so ago but I can assure you it has been a regular discussion point not only of people concerned about the environment and in technical forums but also on mainstream media including the BBC for a good couple of years.

The thing is, if you read mostly sources which are unconcerned about climate change, resource usage etc, then you won't read about stories about them until they happen to upset the agenda of those sources in some way.

And if you never actually read msm because its so terrible, then thats fine but you can't claim that a subject is not being discussed just because you dont see it because you dont look.

Is this to me? I am aware there is some discussion yes, but it’s not on the agenda like it should be. Just reading this thread confirms a lot of people are not aware. We are sleep walking into an AI nightmare because there is no controls around it.

OP posts:
Telemicus · 25/06/2026 20:45

MariaMagdalenaa · 25/06/2026 20:38

Is this to me? I am aware there is some discussion yes, but it’s not on the agenda like it should be. Just reading this thread confirms a lot of people are not aware. We are sleep walking into an AI nightmare because there is no controls around it.

Op, what aspect of AI do you think should be on the agenda more than it is? Because AI data centers have nothing whatsoever to do with any current water shortages in the UK.

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