I doubt that India has ever had someone like Erin Brockovich, immortalized by Julia Roberts in the 2000 film of the same name. Many tried to make a mark like hers, including Medha Patkar, Sunita Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Aruna Roy, and others, but they all had an agenda and were only dancing to the tune of their funders. The movements lacked substance, logic, and passion. It was natural that they failed, but the main characters still received enough limelight. I feel they all lacked a strong, time-driven purpose, approachability, and indefatigability.
Erin Brockovich, often called a modern-day Joan of Arc, won against Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in 1993 on behalf of residents of Hinkley, California, whose groundwater had been contaminated. She secured a $333m settlement from the California energy company. It was the largest payout ever in a direct-action lawsuit.
Now 66, Erin is happily living her life with six grandchildren, but in response to public demand, she has taken on a new challenge after three decades. This time, the problem isn’t just in the US; it’s worldwide—datacenters. Tech companies have long relied on datacenters for their technology needs. Now, new AI-focused facilities are massive, covering hundreds of acres and housing extensive computing resources. For instance, a report notes that Utah approved a datacenter in May that is twice the size of Manhattan.
Environmentalists say the land cannot support the massive water demand of these centers. Two-thirds of planned data centers in the US are in drought-affected regions. Larger centers require up to 5 million gallons of water per day for cooling, comparable to the average consumption of 50,000 people. Dublin has already imposed a moratorium on new data center development, and by 2023, these centers accounted for about 20% of Ireland’s electricity consumption.
Brockovich’s work on datacenters isn’t limited to the US. She’s been approached by individuals in India, Ireland, Australia, and Scotland. People living near datacenters are increasingly voicing concerns, asking questions like, “What about our resources? What’s happening to the water? Who’s paying for all this energy? What might be the long-term health effects of these facilities? And what will happen to the local wildlife?” “I’m watching wildlife disappear,” and “I’m seeing dead animals.” Brockovich questions the government, asking, “If datacenters are so beneficial, why are they being constructed secretly? In the US, developers frequently sign nondisclosure agreements with local officials, preventing the public from understanding the reasons for approval decisions without environmental impact assessments.”
Her approach is straightforward. She requests that the local government provide an environmental impact report, describe their plan to power the project, and clarify whether they will create their own power supply or rely on existing, overburdened resources. Unlike toxic chemicals contaminating water, datacenters are impossible to hide. She says people contact her, saying: “We’re going insane 24/7,” “It’s got to stop,” “It’s humming, it’s hissing, it’s buzzing,” “It’s the generators.” I read a report that alternatives are now being mooted, including placing datacenters on barges at the bottom of the ocean and using waves as an energy source in cooler climates.
I never knew that datacenters require so much space and electricity, and are hazardous to nearby residents. In India, innumerable datacenters are also being built. It is time for policymakers to take note of the issues Erin Brockovich has raised.
