Overview

Book Description In the gleaming data centers powering our AI revolution, a hidden crisis is unfolding. While we marvel at ChatGPT's ability to answer any question and AI's power to generate stunning images, few realize the staggering environmental cost: every conversation consumes roughly 16 ounces of fresh water, and by 2030, AI could be consuming as much water daily as millions of human beings. Knowledge at the Cost of Drinking Water exposes the shocking truth behind artificial intelligence's insatiable thirst. Dr. Naim Tahir Baig takes readers on a gripping investigative journey from West Des Moines, where Microsoft's data centers consume 11.5 million gallons monthly while residents face lawn watering bans, to drought-stricken Uruguay, where Google's cooling towers would consume 7.6 million liters daily during the country's worst drought in 74 years. Through meticulous research and powerful storytelling, this groundbreaking investigation reveals how Big Tech companies-Microsoft, Google, Meta, and others-have quietly built their AI infrastructure in the world's most water-stressed regions while hiding consumption data behind trade secret claims. The book documents a thirteen-month legal battle between The Oregonian newspaper and Google, which spent over $100,000 fighting to keep water usage secret, only to suddenly reverse course and reveal consumption that dwarfs entire city supplies. Dr. Baig exposes the illusion behind corporate ""water positive"" pledges, showing how Microsoft's emissions rose 30% despite net-zero commitments, and how Google's water replenishment projects cover only 18% of actual consumption. The book reveals how AI's water usage has increased 60% since 2020, with projections reaching 1,200 billion liters annually by 2030-enough to supply tens of millions of people. From environmental justice communities bearing the brunt of data center pollution to international protests in Chile, Netherlands, and Spain, this investigation humanizes a crisis that threatens to pit technological progress against basic human survival. Yet it also illuminates hope through emerging solutions: zero-water cooling technologies, community organizing victories, and a growing movement for corporate transparency and accountability. Combining rigorous journalism with accessible storytelling, Knowledge at the Cost of Drinking Water is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the true cost of our digital future. As Dr. Baig demonstrates, the choice before us is clear: we can continue enabling an AI boom that consumes the water needed for human survival, or demand sustainable development that serves both technological progress and planetary health. The decision we make will determine whether future generations inherit a world of endless knowledge or endless thirst.

Full Product Details

9798231553686

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Dr. Naim Tahir Baig can be described as a Political Analyst, Geopolitical Strategist, Military and Security Studies Expert, Intelligence and Espionage Scholar, Social Commentator, Philosopher of Contemporary Issues, Digital Economy Specialist, Islamic Scholar and Interfaith Commentator, Poet and Literary Author, Regional Studies Expert, Multidisciplinary Intellectual, and Pakistan-Centric Analyst, reflecting his diverse expertise across politics, geopolitics, military strategy, intelligence, social commentary, business, religion, literature, and regional studies. Books by Dr Naim Tahir Baig Political Analysis & Contemporary History Bashar al-Assad's Last Stand: A Study of the Syrian Conflict's Final 11 Days in December 2024 Three Winters in Exile: The Trump Chronicles 2021-2024 Biden vs. Trump The 45th and 46th: A Tale of Two Americas Imran Khan's Political Journey: From Cricket to Revolution Political Prophecies of Imran Khan From Captain to Khan: The Rise and Fall of Imran Khan The Widening Political Gap Between Muslim Rulers And Their Masses In The 21st Century Ibrahim Traoré International Relations & Geopolitical Analysis Can Russia Help Pakistan Grow? Why Nuclear-Armed Pakistan Has Not Fought a War Against Israel in the 2020s? A Textbook Of Foreign Policy Analysis International Relations from a Pakistani Perspective The UNO's Three Failures: Gaza, Kashmir, and Ukraine Military Operations & Strategic Studies 27 Minutes That Nearly Started World War III Operation Bunyan um Marsoos 2nd Edition: Operation Rising Lion: Israel's Strike Against Iran's Nuclear Program Operation True Promise 3 The Spider's Web: How Ukraine Rewrote the Rules of War Operation Rising Lion 2025: Israel's Strike on Iran's Nuclear Program Intelligence and Espionage Research Analysis Behind The Veil Of Deception: Catherine Perez-Shakdam

Tab Content 6

Countries Available