As the digital age accelerates, the physical infrastructure supporting our data-driven world is expanding at a rapid pace. Across the United States, there are currently 4,767 data centers, with 95 located in Missouri alone. However, as new proposals continue to emerge, environmental experts are increasingly urging communities to look beyond the immediate economic benefits—such as construction jobs and tax revenue—and consider the long-term ecological footprint of these massive facilities.
While 87% of existing data centers are located in urban areas, a significant shift is underway: 67% of new proposals are targeting rural regions. This migration from cities to the countryside introduces a new set of environmental complexities, as rural areas often rely on different water and energy infrastructures than their metropolitan counterparts.
Dr. John Kraemer, director of environmental science at Southeast Missouri State University, notes that the environmental impact of a data center is highly dependent on context, including the scale of the facility and its geographic placement. While he acknowledges the socio-economic upsides, he warns that the hidden costs—specifically regarding energy, heat, and water—warrant serious public discourse.
Energy consumption remains a primary concern. “We use a lot of power,” Kraemer said. Because these centers require constant, high-level cooling and operational electricity, their presence can drive up demand, potentially increasing reliance on coal-fired power plants. This rise in power consumption contributes to a higher carbon footprint and increased emissions, a reality Kraemer describes as “high enough to get our attention.”
Beyond carbon emissions, data centers can exacerbate the “Heat Island Effect.” In urban environments, concrete and asphalt already trap heat, raising temperatures by several degrees. By adding large, heat-generating industrial structures to these areas, developers can further intensify localized temperatures, impacting the surrounding climate.
Water usage presents perhaps the most critical challenge for inland facilities. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, data centers rely heavily on water to cool server processors and prevent hardware damage. In remote areas, this often means tapping into local groundwater or municipal drinking water supplies.
“Data centers become one more strain on these sources, competing with other users for the same finite resources,” notes a recent report from Nature Forward. In Cape Girardeau, where the city transitioned to groundwater wells for its drinking water in 2012, local infrastructure would face significant pressure if a large-scale data center were to be established.
However, proponents of the industry suggest that technology is evolving to mitigate these impacts. Shad Burner, CEO of SEMO REDI, points to the emergence of “closed-loop” systems, which recycle water rather than consuming it in a linear fashion. “Typically, a project that’s using closed-loop systems has far less requests for daily water usage than any other industrial user we see,” Burner said. “It appears that the industry has shifted” away from the high-consumption technologies of the past.
Despite these technological advancements, questions regarding land use and sustainability remain. Kraemer raises a vital concern regarding the lifecycle of these facilities: what happens when a data center reaches the end of its useful life? He points to the example of abandoned solar arrays as a cautionary tale for land management, urging planners to consider whether developers will invest in responsible decommissioning or simply leave behind industrial blight.
Ultimately, Kraemer suggests that the path forward requires a shift in perspective. Instead of focusing solely on the immediate economic influx, communities must conduct long-range environmental impact assessments. “I’m not saying that they’re good or bad,” Kraemer concluded, “but if you know that you’re going to do that, let’s look to see what the impacts are five years from now versus ten years from now.”
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