Groups cite concerns over power, water and land use

An AI data center. [Image generated by ChatGPT]
An AI data center. [Image generated by ChatGPT]

Resistance to data center construction driven by the spread of AI is growing in Europe, following similar pushback in the United States. More than 100 civic and environmental groups across 15 European countries are joining a coordinated campaign to demand a halt to large-scale data center development.

According to Euronews and The Guardian, the coalition "Stop Dirty Data Centres" is holding protests and rallies across Europe on Friday and Saturday in opposition to data center construction. Events are planned in Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, among others.

The groups are calling for a moratorium — a temporary freeze on new large-scale data center construction in Europe — until clear regulatory standards addressing environmental and social impacts are established.

Organizers said concerns are mounting over the effects of data center expansion on local communities and public infrastructure, as well as on land, water and energy use, housing, employment and the cost of living.

Events will take a variety of forms, including a demonstration outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw, a march in Dublin, a rally outside a Microsoft data center in Denmark, and an educational event near a planned data center site in Amsterdam.

The coordinated action comes in the immediate aftermath of the US midterm elections, where the power and water demands of data centers, along with environmental concerns, emerged as campaign issues. Candidates who took a critical stance on data center expansion won a series of races.

Owen Espley, who is coordinating the pan-European protests, said communities and civil society groups across Europe that have been pushing back against data centers' heavy use of energy, water and land are now acting together. Espley added that the US midterm results reflect concerns common to both the United States and Europe.

Participating organizations include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Foxglove and the Climate Justice University Coalition.

Rising power consumption and carbon emissions from data centers are also central to the campaign's case. The Guardian cited research by Germany's Öko-Institut projecting that carbon emissions from AI data centers could rise significantly by 2030 compared with 2023 levels.

Beyond environmental issues, organizers are raising concerns about the potential mental health effects of AI chatbots, the risk of AI-driven job losses, and the prioritization of data center development over housing in areas already facing severe housing shortages.

The data center industry, for its part, maintains that such facilities create jobs during construction and operation and support the growth of the AI sector. As European governments ramp up data center investment to strengthen their competitiveness in AI, the debate over the social and environmental costs of large-scale facilities is expected to intensify.


quq@heraldcorp.com