Dear [your mp],
I am writing to you about my concerns in regards to the data centres being built and being planned and announced all across the UK — especially [give examples near where you live if you want]
Please take every action you can to fight against these data centres and any new ones that are proposed. Vote against them, speak out against them, sign petitions against them — please do everything you can in your power!
Please demand that all data centres must be paused in development until all of these points are fulfilled:
The data centre must be guaranteed to not cause serious impact on water supply and costs for people living in the area and further out from the area. This means that the water supply must remain safe, accessible and affordable. It should not be low pressure. It should not start coming out brown or with lots of sediment like it has been in towns in the USA. Water bills should not be increased. You (company managing the data centre/whoever is in charge of the data centre’s design and management) must ensure that strong and effective and successful measures are taken to ensure that the water supply can handle the massive intake of the data centre and use sustainable solutions that significantly reduce water usage.
The data centre must be quiet. Many residents near data centres and even miles away from them hear an awful screeching droning sound which has a terrible impact on their quality of life. What about autistic people with sensitive hearing? How can people sleep at night with that sound? The data centres must be quiet all day especially at night. They should be no louder than the average road— manageable noise or little to no noise.
Data centres should not be built on green belts and should not destroy our net zero targets. With heatwaves reaching 38C and killing people and melting our roads, we desperately need to keep to net zero to prevent mass death from climate change. Many of our wildlife are endangered and data centres should not be taking away their habitats.
Data centres need to not cause strain on the grid. It should not cause electricity bills to rise. Steps need to be taken to make them more efficient.
Data centres need to not be a fire hazard. We are in a time of drought where chances of wildfires are so high the government had to ban barbecues. This will happen more and more due to climate change. Data centres get so hot that they need constant water or air cooling them. Is that a good idea when we have such high chances of fire and when we do not have enough water?
The concerns of people living nearby and also people living miles away but still affecting must be taken seriously and acted upon.
If the demand for data centres is so high, then effort should be taken to reduce that demand.
Perhaps there is a way to limit generative AI usages since that causes so much demand?
People’s jobs are getting replaced with AI even though we are already in an unemployment and cost of living crisis — AI taking jobs is the last thing we need, but AI CEOs are saying things like “my job is to help people destroy jobs” and that they hope AI will replace doctors and lawyers.
Perhaps there can be limits placed on how much AI a company can use a day? This could force them to hire more people and also reduce AI demand. There are already age verification systems barring people who cannot verify from accessing certain websites and apps. The government could put something in place that prevents people and companies from accessing AI if they have reached their daily limit.
Please bring up these ideas and discussions in Parliament. Please do everything you can do get them listened to and acted upon.
The Wales data centre in Imperial Park will on estimate use the same amount of power as 201,830 UK households.
In a time of economic difficulty, data centres are the last thing we need; they cause such a strain that it makes water and electricity bills spike up and people are already struggling to pay for those.
How will we be able to afford it? I fear that the government is not taking into account the detrimental effects data centres has on local communities. In the United States, taps have been running dry and water has been coming out brown.
Here is a BBC article about it: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8gy7lv448o.
Do we really want that here? This same article also mentions how AI driven data centres are estimated to consume 1.7 trillion gallons of water by 2027. We are also predicted to enter global water bankruptcy in 13 years’ time. I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t even fill up my water bottle from the tap. Do you?
We’re already in drought. Food shortages are expected in 2027 and 2028 because of that drought. What will happen when we have data centres using up more water on top of that? What about the forest fires that need putting out and the grass that needs water so it doesn’t become so flammable in the first place?
In addition, it takes up spaces that could have been used for housing when we are in a housing crisis! I am on the housing list for Bristol and a one bedroom flat I applied for had 400+ other applicants in just one week.
It destroys the plans for Net Zero which is a massive priority after the extreme heatwaves we have been experiencing over and over throughout the summer!
Here are some petitions to sign to stop data centres and websites about stopping the data centres:
https://act.38degrees.org.uk/act/datacentres?submit=true&has_regular_donation=false
https://www.nodevondatacentre.co.uk/
https://www.change.org/p/ai-data-centre-72mw-at-thames-valley-park-reading-stop-construction
https://pulltheplug.uk/petitions
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/18592-Artificial-intelligence-strategy-for-the-cultural-and-creative-sectors_en (AI is a massive problem in the cultural and creative sectors as it undermines creators and causes massive job losses)
Thank you for your time,
[your full name, address and email address]