Independent environmental impact assessment for data centres & make AI opt-in

Background

Require independent environmental impact assessments before any data centres are approved end the designation of data centres as "critical national infrastructure". We also call for AI to be opt-in, not built into everyday online services by default, so the public is not forced to fuel this boom.

Additional details

In our view data centres for AI use vast amounts of water, yet communities get little say. In Morgan County, Georgia (USA), residents beside a major data centre report discoloured, undrinkable water and many now rely on shipped-in supplies, prompting calls for a federal investigation. Now, in North Devon, an 850-acre data campus, is proposed on protected farmland in a region currently facing hosepipe bans. In our view, the public never chose this boom but will pay for it in water, land and higher bills.

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