We wonder sincerely why the populace at large does not rise up in rebellion at the scale and obscurity of purpose of the suddenly proliferating data centers that are springing up like covert AI weeds throughout the nation. Of course, we could also wonder about ICE detention centers, inland ports, “industrial farms,” unregulated mines, nuclear energy facilities (remembering that we cannot destroy nuclear materials in timeframes useful to us), public lands “developments” and other flashfloods-of-the-mind that are suddenly on our doorsteps at unimaginable velocity. It is not enough just to dismiss them as money-making opportunities, apparently.
A true believer I once knew rationalized them in this way: “God put them here for us to use.” And so we seem intent on using them without restraint, without prioritizing renewable energy, without recognizing ecological or biogeochemical systems, or much of any countervailing force to prolong existence of living beings, their fossils, or even their memory.
So, let’s get on with it. Let’s rename the earth “Trump,” make certain that no signs of future reflecting pools will persevere, and hit the nuclear button in the White House Bunker.
But please, in the near term, can we not plead with God’s Planning Commission to put a halt to these carbon-powered, screaming data center/black boxes being built by the hundreds in deserts, ghettos, wetlands and other places that do not comprehend their purpose, their economic impacts or their life expectancy, much less the threshold of a living wage? The least we should do is to require a permit, review it thoroughly, and keep it on hand for the inevitable demolition in a decade or so.
Ivan Weber, Salt Lake City