Bill Gates has also warned about the possibility of a sixth mass extinction due to water shortages. Gates did not say that an imminent mass extinction would be caused specifically by water shortages. Data centers require enormous quantities of electricity, while certain cooling systems consume water directly through evaporation. There is a tremendous difference between water withdrawn, water circulated, water discharged, and water actually consumed, yet the headlines rarely explain these distinctions because frightening totals are politically more useful than transparent accounting. Every proposed data center should disclose its expected withdrawals, actual consumption, water source, cooling design, discharge volume, electricity-related water footprint, drought contingency plan, and contractual priority during shortages.