environment
‘We’re up against forces that have all the money in the world’: Erin Brockovich on her battle against AI datacentres
In 1993, she squeezed a $333m settlement from a Californian energy company in a scandal over contaminated water. Three decades later, she has a new target in her sights – and it’s global
TL;DR
- Erin Brockovich is campaigning against the environmental and community impacts of AI datacenters.
- She has launched a platform to map datacenters and collect community concerns, receiving thousands of responses.
- Concerns include massive water and energy consumption, lack of transparency in approvals, and potential environmental and health effects.
- Brockovich advocates for local moratoriums, environmental impact assessments, and community involvement in the approval process for datacenters.
- The scale of datacenters is compared to her previous Hinkley case, but with potentially greater environmental consequences.
- Datacenter developers are reportedly suing local governments that attempt to halt construction, making it difficult for communities to have a voice.
- The issue is described as global, with concerns being raised in Australia, India, Scotland, and Ireland.
- Brockovich aims to build lawsuits from the ground up, demanding information and town hall meetings before approvals.
- She notes that opposition to datacenters is bipartisan, but political changes can affect environmental campaigns.