From Palo Alto to Melbourne, 40 mayors worldwide endorse a pact to shape data center development
Forty mayors from around the world, including many from the US, have signed a pact to guide sustainable urban data center development. The initiative aims to address concerns about data centers' impact on natural resources, energy prices, and climate targets by proposing a framework for city-level regulations. It seeks to prevent cities from competing on relaxed standards for data center investment.
Forty mayors globally, with about half from the United States, have endorsed a new pact aimed at shaping sustainable urban data center development. Launched by C40 Cities during London Climate Action Week, the agreement provides a framework for cities to ensure data centers do not compromise natural resources, energy prices, or climate targets.
The initiative was sparked by concerns from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece regarding data centers' significant electricity and water demands, and their competition for urban land. While many new data centers are located in rural areas for cheaper land, metropolitan areas within the C40 network already host around 1,700 data centers, with expected growth exceeding 40% in 50 of these cities. Growing political and local opposition is fueled by fears of blackouts, rising electricity bills, and the voracious water needs of these facilities.
Participating US cities include Seattle, Palo Alto and Riverside (California), Phoenix (Arizona), Albuquerque (New Mexico), Beverly (Massachusetts), Lincoln (Nebraska), Chicago (Illinois), Cleveland (Ohio), and Miami (Florida). The pact outlines standards for urban data centers, advocating for their construction on abandoned or underutilized land to minimize noise, heat, and air pollution, powering them with renewable energy and battery storage, reducing water use and emissions, and capturing waste heat. Mayors also seek data centers that create local jobs, support local businesses, fund their own infrastructure upgrades, and incorporate community feedback into their plans.
Mayor Gallego expressed concerns that current data center investments in the Phoenix metropolitan area, where pending permit requests could double electricity demand, are worsening climate change and failing to meet community needs. She emphasized that a unified mayoral front is crucial to prevent a "race to the bottom" where cities, desperate for investment, might compromise their environmental and community standards. Similarly, Melbourne's Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece noted that data centers in his city could consume 4% of its drinking water, exacerbating existing strain.