While Los Angeles Burns, AI Fans the Flames | Truthout

Wildfires in Los Angeles County have claimed lives and destroyed thousands of structures, prompting renewed scrutiny of California’s water management and conservation efforts. Former President Trump used the crisis to spread misinformation about a nonexistent “water restoration declaration,” falsely suggesting that Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies were to blame for empty fire hydrants. In reality, local water storage tanks were depleted by firefighters’ heavy demand at lower elevations, and hurricane-force winds also hampered aerial water drops. Though Trump’s accusations are largely political grandstanding, the situation underscores California’s severe vulnerability to climate change-fueled disasters—where heat waves, droughts, and wildfires grow more devastating by the year.

Meanwhile, another looming threat to the state’s limited water supply is the rapid expansion of data centers designed to meet the growing demand for AI. These massive facilities can use millions of gallons of water per day to cool their servers, with some projections indicating that AI-driven data centers could soon outpace the emissions of all California cars. Companies are flocking to water-stressed regions like Imperial Valley and Los Angeles County, lured by plentiful solar and wind resources as well as favorable tax incentives. But local communities, armed with examples of successful pushback in other states, are increasingly resisting these developments, fearful of intensifying competition for water. With the climate crisis already straining California’s reservoirs and rivers, the intersection of AI infrastructure and disaster management reveals a critical need to rethink the state’s resource priorities.