- The Environment Agency (EA) is urging the public to help manage pressure on data centres, which require large amounts of water for cooling, to avoid a potential water shortage in England in 30 years.
- The EA warns that England could face a shortfall of nearly five billion litres of water a day due to population increase, climate change, and the growth of UK data centres driven by AI.
- Large data centres are estimated to use around 360,000 litres of water a day, contributing to increased energy consumption.
- The EA suggests five steps the public can take to help stop a water shortage, including deleting old emails, shortening showers, and using full loads for dishwashers and washing machines.
- EA chairman Alan Lovell stresses the need for coordinated action to preserve water resources, highlighting the threat to economic growth, food production, and the environment.
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