AI Data centres use as much power as a city!!! - Stand.earth petition

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Hi Christopher,  Whether you use ChatGPT or not, it seems like AI is everywhere these days. You’re not imagining things – tech companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars to build out AI capabilities, and all that infrastructure requires a lot of electricity. Which begs the question – how will we power these giant data centers  that can use the same amount of electricity as whole cities? The choice  is stark, and right now, signs are pointing toward using fossil fuels. That  means more air pollution, more water pollution, more pipelines, and  more climate harming emissions. So if you care about the climate and communities, the answer is simple.  You power these data centers with around the clock, local renewable  energy, or you don’t build them in the first place. As a company that claims to be a climate leader and responsible  community partner we’re calling on Microsoft to ensure that its  new AI data centers are powered by local, round the clock  renewable energy, and provide substantial benefits for the  surrounding communities. Will you join us? ADD YOUR VOICE Microsoft touts that it “will procure 100% renewable energy” for its data centers, but the reality on the ground is that its data centers are directly driving the buildout of fossil fuel infrastructure. In our latest report, we catalogued how in North Carolina, the fossil fuel lobby cited Microsoft data  centers as a reason why the state must fast track and build additional gas pipelines and power plants.  This isn’t just hypothetical. To meet demand from Microsoft and othe r big tech companies, in Person County, NC, the local utility is  proposing building gas plants next to a local elementary school.  And when you consider that electricity demand from Microsoft’s North  American data centers is set to rival that of the entire New England  region by 2030, it becomes crystal clear that how Microsoft  (and the rest of the AI sector) powers these data centers is of utmost importance. Tell Microsoft to start acting like the climate and community leader  they claim to be and ensure that all new data centers are run on  24/7, local renewable energy – not methane gas and coal. Microsoft is the second-largest company in the world by market cap,  and they invested $80 billion in AI over the last fiscal year – that’s  more than the GDP of most countries. As a self-proclaimed climate  and community leader, Microsoft has a responsibility to ensure  its data centers don’t harm communities or the climate, and we  intend to hold them accountable. The Stand.earth community is no stranger to taking on big targets  (and winning 😉). We’ve worked to protect millions of acres of forests  from extractive industries. We’ve gone up against multinational oil, gas,  and coal companies worth billions of dollars and come out victorious,  blocking dozens of their projects that would have poisoned local  communities and accelerated the climate crisis. We’ve shifted billions  of dollars of purchasing from corporate powerhouses like Starbucks,  Staples, and Lululemon onto sustainable pathways. And with your support, Microsoft will be next. In solidarity, Nathan Taft (he/him) Senior Campaigner Stand.earth

Stand.earth delivers large-scale change by interrupting the systems that create environmental and climate crises, and challenging corporations and governments to treat people and the planet with respect. Our Work   Ways to Give San Francisco office: 548 Market Street, Suite 74196, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 On traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone Lands Bellingham office: 1329 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225 On traditional Lummi and Nooksack Lands Vancouver office: 5307 Victoria Drive, Suite 347, Vancouver, BC V5P 3V6 On Unceded Territories of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ, xʷməθkwəy̓əm, and Skwxwú7mesh Nations Unsubscribe or change your subscription preferences

2021: The Canada Day the wheel finally turned for Indigenous People

 

Dear Chris,

Stand.earth is not celebrating ‘Canada Day,’ and this is why.

Six years ago, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) released its Calls to Action, the culmination of lengthy work collecting accounts and information about Canada’s genocidal residential schools. In recent days and weeks, the horror and scale of these atrocities has been made sharply apparent with the uncovering of mass and unmarked graves in Tk'emlúps (Kamloops, B.C.) and quickly extending across the country.

This is the reality of the country we call “Canada.” It's a reminder that we live in a country that was violently built on stolen land, and continues to perpetuate ongoing genocides against Indigenous peoples.

Our hearts are heavy thinking of all Indigenous Nations and communities, and each of these children and their families. They are more than statistics, and we owe them more than sympathy and words.

As part of confronting Canada's colonial history and ongoing genocide in the present day, we invite you to join us and mark July 1st not in celebration, but in mourning, reflection, and action.

Here are some actions you can take today:

Attend a Cancel Canada Day event near you
 Read the TRC Calls to Action and reports
Donate to the Indian Residential School Survivor Society
Learn more about how to be a better ally
Read and amplify Indigenous writers on the need for reparations and Land Back
Canada’s residential school system is not a thing of the distant past. The last school closed as recently as 1997, during most of our lifetimes. Today, Indigenous children are still vastly overrepresented in the state’s child welfare system, which experts say replaced residential schools.

At the same time, Indigenous peoples are still being forced off their lands to make way for resource extraction. Indigenous Nations and communities in Canada are also disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution, lack of access to basic rights like healthcare and clean drinking water, overrepresented in the criminal justice system – and the list goes on. It is clear that Canada’s genocidal policies persist to this day, and as politicians spin meaningless platitudes in the face of ongoing atrocities, it is our job to stand up and demand change – not sit back and enjoy fireworks.

These issues are not limited to the lands north of the colonial border. Boarding schools that operated in the U.S. are known for these crimes as well, and as more information is brought into the spotlight, we are reminded that the work to confront and tear down colonial systems of oppression extends across this continent.

Those of us who are settlers on these occupied Indigenous lands have an individual and collective responsibility to dismantle systems of white supremacy and colonialism, today and everyday. At Stand.earth we invite our community to join us in this essential and difficult work.

There is no pride in genocide. Today is not a day to celebrate.

With respect,

The Stand.earth team

Stand.earth challenges corporations, industries, and governments to prioritize the well-being of people, our environment, and our climate by creating long-term, effective solutions. None of this work is possible without your support.
 
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San Francisco office: 548 Market Street, Suite 74196, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401
On traditional Chochenyo and Karkin Ohlone Lands 
Bellingham office: 1329 N State St., Bellingham, WA 98225
On traditional Lummi and Nooksack Lands
Vancouver office: 5307 Victoria Drive, Suite 347, Vancouver, BC V5P 3V6
On Unceded Territories of the səl̓ílwətaʔɬ, xʷməθkwəy̓əm, and Skwxwú7mesh Nations