The Growing Global Fight Against Datacentres and Fossil Fuels

The world is seeing a major increase in legal actions against the technology industry and energy policies. A new report from the London School of Economics (LSE) shows that datacentres—the large buildings that house computer servers for AI and cloud services—are now a primary target for climate-related lawsuits. These cases, which have grown in number since 2015, challenge how these facilities use electricity, water, and their impact on air quality.

This trend follows a recent legal challenge in Australia, where a group of citizens took their case to the United Nations. They argue that the Australian government’s decision to continue exporting coal and gas violates their human rights. The group claims that these fossil fuel exports make climate change worse, which has already led to severe disasters in their country, such as intense bushfires and floods. This case is part of a larger global movement where people are using the law to hold governments and companies responsible for their environmental impact.

The LSE report highlights that these legal battles are happening in many different countries. In Chile, for example, residents successfully stopped a Google datacentre project in Santiago. They argued that the project did not properly consider the impact on the city’s water supply, which is already under pressure from climate change. Although that specific project was halted, the report notes that the rapid growth of datacentres continues to put a strain on wetlands across the country.

Ireland has become a major center for these legal challenges. The Irish government wants the technology sector to grow, even though datacentres already use more than one-fifth of the nation’s electricity. In December, the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU) decided that large energy users could continue to use fossil fuels for another six years. After that period, these companies must use at least 80% renewable energy—energy that comes from natural sources like wind or sun that do not run out. However, groups such as Friends of the Irish Environment and ClientEarth are seeking a judicial review. This is a process where a court checks if a government decision was made correctly. These groups argue that the decision will force Ireland to rely on expensive and polluting fossil gas for many years.

The United States is also seeing a rise in legal actions. In Mississippi, a group called the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has filed a lawsuit against xAI, a company owned by Elon Musk. They argue that the company is breaking the Clean Air Act by using portable gas generators without the right permits. They claim these generators create health risks for nearby minority communities. The US Department of Justice is attempting to stop this lawsuit, arguing that the company’s work is important for the economy. Meanwhile, in California, the city of Pittsburg now requires new datacentres to use renewable energy and recycled water for cooling their servers.

In the United Kingdom, campaigners recently challenged the government over the construction of a large datacentre in Buckinghamshire. Groups like Foxglove and Global Action Plan argued that the government ignored the project’s high electricity and water needs. The government later admitted that there were flaws in the approval process, and the lawsuit was dropped. The developer now agrees that they must include environmental protections in a binding contract with the local council.

According to the LSE report, these cases in the US and UK show that legal action is a powerful tool. It can force governments and companies to change how they make decisions about the environment. While the technology industry continues to expand, these lawsuits suggest that the public is no longer willing to accept projects that do not prioritize the planet. As the world moves toward a future that relies more on AI and digital services, the debate over how to power these technologies will likely continue to be settled in courtrooms around the globe.