Politicians dilute motion calling for moratorium on AI data centres

Today (16 Sept), environmental campaigners have reacted to a parliamentary vote where a majority of MSPs watered down a motion against a moratorium on ‘monster’ AI data centres. 

The Scottish Green Party forced a vote on the controversial developments in the Scottish Parliament, which is the first time MSPs have been given a chance to show they are on the side of their communities on this issue. Only the Scottish Greens backed a moratorium, while the SNP and Labour supported planning decisions being delayed until further guidance is published, but did not clarify whether the government would intervene in planning processes.

There are over 20 hyperscale data centres currently proposed in Scotland. The massive scale of these projects means that they require huge amounts of energy, land and materials to build and run. Thousands of people across Scotland have been protesting these developments, in particular the impact of noise, water and air pollution.  

The movement in Scotland is part of the global fight back against data centres and big tech. There have been over 500 bans or restrictions on data centre developments in the USA and countries such as the Netherlands and Malaysia have brought in restrictions. 

Kim Pratt, Senior Circular Economy Campaigner with Friends of the Earth Scotland said: 

“In today’s debate, the Planning Minister said it was ‘unlikely’ that data centres would be approved before Christmas. However, communities in Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and Fife, where decisions are imminent, desperately need clarity on that now. Only a moratorium on all hyperscale data centres until proper social and environmental safeguards are in place can protect people and nature from their impacts.” 

“Politicians have failed to reject data centre plans, fuelled by the greed of big tech, rather than robustly protect the people of Scotland. Thousands of people across Scotland have spoken out against the rapid rise of data centres which pollute communities, add to climate breakdown and use up resources needed for the energy transition.  

“Many MSPs in the debate today who opposed a moratorium seemed won over by promises of jobs and growth. However, independent research has shown that the true number of jobs created by data centres is a fraction of what industry claim, with a 100MW sized data centre estimated to create only 15 direct jobs once operational. Evidence from the US and Ireland, where data centres have already been built, shows that wealth will flow into the pockets of tech billionaires, and the people of Scotland will be left to pay for the impacts in higher bills and the destruction of nature.”