Stories
Read cross-border reporting from ERC partner newsrooms covering data-center policy, extraction, and community resistance.
Litigating The Boom: Taking the Data Center Fight to the Courts
As governments roll out the red carpet for data centers, local communities, civil and environmental groups — and even some local politicians — in France and Spain are turning to the courts to make their voices heard.
2 March 2026
Read storyThe AI Thirst Trap: Surge in Data Centers Adding To "Global Water Bankruptcy"
Water is a huge component of data center operations. In the race to become the next global data center hub, however, we look at questions being raised in India, Brazil, Spain and France about who's keeping tabs on the ever-increasing water use.
27 February 2026
Read storyThe Data Center Fever and the Mirage of Jobs
Hyperscale data centers swoop in with promises of jobs and prosperity. But for many communities that must live alongside these massive data centers, the shine often masks a different reality.
2 March 2026
Read storyAs Data Centers Arrive, India's Poorest Face Displacement, Health Risks
Silicon Valley is investing billions to build data centers across India with little regard for the environmental and health risks to vulnerable communities
27 February 2026
Read storyLocals say they're in the dark, even as Thailand's data dream shines bright
Tech giants are eyeing Thailand's Chonburi and Rayong provinces, as the government hails its data center boom as a golden opportunity. But local experts and communities say they haven't seen much environmental planning, and fear the strain on already-stretched water and energy supplies.
27 February 2026
Read storyWill Brazil's AI City power up LATAM's AI aspirations or shock a heavily loaded energy grid?
One of Brazil's — and Latin America's — largest planned data center projects is set to connect to the national grid. But questions arise over its authorized energy capacity, with local communities and energy experts warning it could strain an already fragile power distribution system.
27 February 2026
Read storyBrazil's AI City: In a flood-risk state, who gets the higher ground?
As many families in and around Eldorado do Sul — including Brazil's Indigenous communities— relocate or remain fearful following the devastation of the 2024 floods, an ambitious hyperscale data center is coming up on one of the flood-free lands.
2 March 2026
Read storyDe l'Irlande à l'Inde en passant par le Brésil, pourquoi les data centers sont devenus synonymes de désastre social et environnemental
A cross-border overview — from Ireland to India to Brazil — of how the global data center build-out has driven social displacement and environmental harm.
L'Humanité · 9 April 2026
Read at L'Humanité (in French) ↗Hégémonie des géants de la Tech, conflits d'usages, consommation énergétique mortifère… comment les data centers sont devenus un fléau planétaire
An analysis of Big Tech's dominance, competing land and water uses, and the energy footprint that has turned data centers into a planetary-scale problem.
L'Humanité · 9 April 2026
Read at L'Humanité (in French) ↗Maior data center da América do Sul terá licenciamento simplificado no RS
The Rio Grande do Sul government has promised streamlined environmental licensing for the 5 GW Scala AI City in Eldorado do Sul — South America's largest planned data center — bypassing the standard Environmental Impact Study.
((o))eco / Ambiental Media · 22 March 2026
Read at ((o))eco / Ambiental Media (in Portuguese) ↗La industria de los centros de datos en Perú crece sin regulación ni control ambiental
An investigation finding that Peru's data center industry is expanding rapidly — around Lurín south of Lima, and in Cusco — with no specific environmental regulation or oversight despite heavy water and electricity use.
La Encerrona · 11 March 2026
Read at La Encerrona (in Spanish) ↗Thai data center boom sparks fears of water shortage, air pollution
With 70+ data center projects concentrated in Chonburi, Rayong and Chachoengsao, water-intensive facilities threaten to worsen scarcity and pollution in an already heavily industrialized region.
Mongabay · 11 March 2026
Read at Mongabay ↗An Aragonese David against the AI Goliath: Spain's first battle against data centers
A grassroots coalition in Aragón has filed a legal challenge against Amazon's data center macro project in the region, arguing the local government fast-tracked approvals. A group of activists is standing up for the first time in Spain against this growing industry.
Público · 24 July 2026
Read storyThirsty, Tired, Wired: Singapore, Johor, Batam and the data centre boom
Singapore hit pause on data centres. Its neighbours inherited the gold rush, and the environmental bill.
Kontinentalist · 11 May 2026
Read at Kontinentalist ↗