European Activists Plan Protests Against Data Center Expansion, Demanding Moratorium
Campaigners across Europe are organizing two days of coordinated protests on November 6 and 7, calling for an immediate moratorium on new large-scale data center developments. Over 100 groups in 15 European countries will participate in various actions, including demonstrations, public meetings, and petitions. These actions are driven by increasing concerns about the environmental and social impact of the rapid expansion of data centers, particularly regarding their consumption of land, water, and energy resources. The protests follow similar sentiments observed in recent U.S. midterm elections, where restrictions on AI server farms became a prominent campaign issue. Activists argue that governments and tech giants are proceeding with these developments without adequate scrutiny of their environmental, democratic, and social consequences.
