The extensive development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres in Australia threatens to derail the renewable energy transition that is underway.
Mass build of new centres will entrench fossil gas and coal use, and add huge volumes of new greenhouse gas climate pollution to the atmosphere, while consuming vast volumes of water and impacting local communities.
The data centre development is being driven by big technology companies. The current development model is boosting profits for Big Tech and fossil fuel companies to the detriment of local environments and communities.
We call for an urgent moratorium on further data centre approvals until clear and enforceable regulations are in place.
This page will be expanded over time with resources for local campaigns, action alerts and listings of events. You are welcome to send details on events and resources: [email protected]
Take action
Please sign our open letters
Moratorium on data centres in Australia
Please sign our open letter to the PM and key ministers calling for a moratorium on new data centres here.
No use of AI in environmental approvals
The Federal Budget allocates $153.5 million over four years to progress bilateral agreements with states and territories that would see decision-making under the newly reformed Environment Protection Biodiversity and Conservation Act 1999, and enhance the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in progressing environmental approvals. It will establish ‘environmental regulatory reforms that accelerate approvals by reducing duplication with states and territories and by modernising applications, including through the use of AI’.
Much of the reporting on the use of AI focused on plans to use an AI tool to help housing developers get projects through the Commonwealth's environmental assessment process. However, the funding for use of AI in environmental approvals, while intended to increase productivity, could have enormous negative impacts on natural places if the process allows developments such as mining or mass housing in new areas to proceed without appropriate oversight.
Please sign our open letter to the Treasurer here.
Get active
We will post details on rallies, meetings and other community events as we receive them. Please feel free to send through to: [email protected]
Call for a Moratorium on Victoria’s Data Centre Build Out [Naarm/ Melbourne]
ORGANISING MEETING
@ The People’s Place (Borderlands Co-op) 30A Pickett Street, Footscray
Wednesday July 1, 6.30PM
Data Centres are popping up everywhere in the Western Suburbs without anything approaching adequate public scrutiny.
FoE Resources
NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into data centres
In April, Friends of the Earth made a submission to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into data centres, which is considering the scale, impacts and implications of data centre development in New South Wales.
AEMO is forecasting that data centres will consume 11% of NSW electricity by 2030, drastically increasing energy demand. The 22 data centre applications received in the first quarter of this year alone represent a combined demand of 3.67 gigawatts - enough energy to power 1.1 million NSW homes.
Australians are rightly concerned about the dominance of AI and want to see stronger regulation of AI industries to protect public interest. But there is little regulatory oversight currently in place to manage the growth of this new industry and its impacts on people, energy and water.
You can find our submission here.
Friends of the Earth Ireland data centre campaign
FoE Ireland has great resources about AI and data centres which are available on their website.
Other resources
Greenpeace report on data centres.
Energy Vampires: the AI data centres draining Australia. Available here.
Locals affected by Ireland's AI data centre boom share 'cautionary tales'. News story from the ABC.
There are already about 162 data centres across the country and there are plans for at least another 90.
Currently the facilities use about 2 per cent of energy supplied to the national grid.
That amount is expected to triple in under a decade.
From ReNew Economy: as the global race to establish more centres in Australia gains momentum, technology and environmental experts have questioned whether the nation can support their high energy and water demands.