Planned Amazon data center could become the biggest climate polluter in the U.S.

亚马逊计划建设的数据中心或将成为美国最大的气候污染源

As part of a planned data center in Pecos County, Texas, Amazon is investing in an on-site power plant that could become the largest source of climate pollution in the United States, according to The New York Times. 据《纽约时报》报道，作为德克萨斯州佩科斯县（Pecos County）规划中的数据中心项目的一部分，亚马逊正在投资建设一座现场发电厂，该电厂可能成为美国最大的气候污染源。

The NYT says the plant would burn natural gas and is permitted to release 33 million tons of carbon dioxide per year — more than any other power plant in the U.S. 《纽约时报》称，该电厂将燃烧天然气，并获准每年排放 3300 万吨二氧化碳——这一排放量超过了美国任何其他发电厂。

In a statement, an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the data center will “be powered by new on-site generation that won’t raise electricity costs for Texas families.” (Data centers face growing political opposition for a number of reasons, including their effect on electricity costs.) 亚马逊发言人在一份声明中证实，该数据中心将“由新的现场发电设施供电，这不会增加德州家庭的用电成本”。（数据中心因多种原因面临越来越多的政治阻力，其中包括它们对电价的影响。）

AI has already had a significant impact on Amazon’s carbon emissions, which it reported were up 16% last year — the wrong direction for a company that pledged to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2040. 人工智能已经对亚马逊的碳排放产生了重大影响。据报道，该公司去年的碳排放量增长了 16%——对于一家承诺在 2040 年前消除碳排放的公司来说，这显然是背道而驰的。

And that could get worse as Amazon and tech companies back the development of huge natural gas plants to support their power-hungry data centers. 随着亚马逊和其他科技公司支持开发大型天然气发电厂以支撑其耗电巨大的数据中心，这种情况可能会进一步恶化。

The Amazon spokesperson said, “The world looks different now than when we co-founded the climate pledge,” while also claiming, “Our commitment hasn’t changed.” 亚马逊发言人表示：“与我们共同发起‘气候承诺’（Climate Pledge）时相比，现在的世界已经大不相同了。”同时他也声称：“我们的承诺从未改变。”