The Data Center Backlash Should Also Be a Climate Reckoning. It Isn’t Yet
The article discusses the growing public backlash against data centers, particularly focusing on their environmental and climate impacts. While climate groups are protesting, local concerns like water use and energy bills often drive public opposition more than climate change. A Michigan congressional candidate has even made data center opposition a central theme of his campaign.
The WIRED column, 'Power Play,' explores the increasing public opposition to data centers, framing it as a potential climate reckoning that hasn't fully materialized. During Climate Week, Extinction Rebellion NYC staged disruptive protests at a panel featuring tech executives, yelling about the harms of AI and reliance on fracked gas. Panelists, including Cully Cavness, cofounder of Crusoe, and Varun Sivaram of Emerald AI, expressed frustration, defending data centers as potential 'good citizens' that can contribute to the local tax base and clean energy transition.
The article highlights that despite climate activists' focus, broader public dissent against data centers is primarily driven by local concerns such as water usage, energy bills, and noise pollution, rather than global climate change impacts. This is evidenced by polls and the campaign of William Lawrence, a Michigan congressional candidate. Lawrence, a founder of the Sunrise Movement, has made data center opposition a cornerstone of his platform, citing threats to air, water, and quality of life in Michigan's 7th congressional district, where he claims at least three hyperscalers are building projects, but his platform notably omits climate change.
BloombergNEF analysis projects that data centers could account for over 5 percent of global electricity demand by 2035, with the majority met by new and existing natural gas plants, potentially increasing power sector emissions significantly. The article warns that a massive fossil fuel buildout driven by data centers looms as a major climate threat, regardless of whether other local concerns are addressed.