New York City Climate Week focuses on data center energy and water impacts
The 18th annual NYC Climate Week is underway, featuring a "smash a data center" piñata event organized by Greenwashed to symbolize frustration over data center energy and water consumption. Data centers are a significant theme of the week, with discussions focusing on policy, environmental impacts, and resource usage, especially in light of Governor Kathy Hochul's existing one-year pause on large data center permits in New York state.
New York City's Climate Week, the world's largest climate event, has opened with a satirical "whack-a-data-center" piñata event in Central Park, organized by the advocacy group Greenwashed. This event highlights growing frustration across the political spectrum regarding the proliferation of energy- and fuel-intensive data centers.
Data centers are a central theme of this year's Climate Week, which features over 1,000 events addressing climate adaptation, energy, and grid stability. Governor Kathy Hochul's existing one-year moratorium on large data center permits in New York state underscores the local relevance of these discussions. Attendees can engage with a new "data center policy toolkit" designed to provide resources on policy, pollution, water, and electricity usage.
Raya Salter from the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center emphasized the urgency of the data center issue, noting concerns about their significant energy and water demands and their upward pressure on utility bills. The state's grid operator is already anticipating increased demand and potential generation shortfalls. Other events during the week include tours of the Staten Island Bluebelt stormwater management system and a clean energy board game session at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, all aimed at fostering community involvement in climate solutions.