This is plastic straws all over again:

As some onlookers have noted, the recommendation rings a little hollow when juxtaposed next to the UK government’s commitment to turbocharge growth using AI. Perhaps more pertinently, the advice rings hollow because it’s likely not very sensible. While it’s true that data centers do consume large amounts of water through evaporative cooling (where it’s used), the vast majority of this power draw comes from CPU and GPU computation, not the storage of pictures and emails. Once the data is stored, the storage devices generate very little heat and are often spun down (placed into low- or no-power states) and called upon only when needed.

The impact of an individual deleting emails and old photos on data center water usage is likely to be so infinitesimal as to be considered futile. In fact, rooting out old emails and photos and deleting them from your online archives might well use more energy and water than storing them in the first place, making this a counterproductive exercise.

Corporations are the real problem, but they bribe the government into doing something that won’t help but will make some people against the entire cause and will reflexively start saying there is no problem and nothing should be fixed.

They need to be called out repeatedly and loudly before that mentality sets in again.