air pollution

Datacenter developers in the United States are facing accusations that they are circumventing key pollution regulations. According to reporting by The Guardian, the rapid buildout of datacenter infrastructure may be exploiting gaps or exemptions in environmental rules, raising concerns among regulators and communities about air, water and emissions impacts as the industry expands at pace.

A new Visual Capitalist map ranks the U.S. cities most affected by wildfire smoke in 2026, highlighting which urban populations face the heaviest exposure to dangerous air pollution. The data is being shared widely in climate and health discussions, with commenters tying the smoke levels to climate change and calling attention to worsening air quality risks for American city dwellers.