environment
Datacenters are growing target of global climate-related legal cases, report finds
LSE analysis highlights litigation linked to energy sources, water consumption and air pollution
TL;DR
- Datacenters and AI are increasingly the subject of environmental litigation globally.
- Lawsuits target energy sources, water consumption, and air pollution associated with datacenters.
- A case in Chile successfully halted a Google datacenter project due to unconsidered climate impacts.
- Ireland is a hotspot for datacenter litigation, with concerns over the sector's high electricity consumption and reliance on fossil fuels.
- In the US, datacenters face requirements for renewable energy, recycled water, and lawsuits over unpermitted methane generators.
- UK campaigners successfully challenged a datacenter approval, leading to accepted flaws in the decision-making process.
- Litigation can drive changes in climate-related decision-making and improve transparency regarding environmental impacts.
- The aim of much of this litigation is not to stop development but to ensure it is powered by renewables.