UK groups protest Google plan for a data center near Thurrock

In short: Protests against new data centers are growing in Europe, and a mixed group in the UK is urging Google to drop plans for a large site in Thurrock.

What's going on

A small protest took place outside Google’s UK headquarters in King’s Cross, London. A Buglife staff member delivered a petition with almost 55,000 signatures asking Google to abandon plans for a new data center in Thurrock, about 15 miles east of London.

A data center is a big building filled with computers that store and process information, like a warehouse for the internet. Companies want more of them to run artificial intelligence systems and other online services. The UK government has said it wants to attract this kind of infrastructure.

In Thurrock, opposition is coming from groups that do not usually work together. Buglife and local wildlife groups say the project could destroy habitat for an endangered plant, a rare bumblebee, and other small species. The nonprofit Foxglove says the site could create too much pollution, and it points to estimates of up to 570,000 tonnes of emissions per year. The Thurrock Hammers motorcycle club also opposes the plan because it wants to return the land to racing.

Google says it is prioritizing biodiversity and lowering emissions. It says it will protect some habitat, move endangered plants, and fund new renewable energy projects to offset emissions, with a goal of being carbon-neutral by 2030.

What to watch

Thurrock Council expects to decide on Google’s initial planning application early next year. Protesters say they will keep challenging the project during later planning stages, which can take years.

Source: Wired