Data centres’ one positive impact

Critics of modern progressivism often complain that we are too focussed on digital campaigning and have no presence on the ground or in people’s lives. I concur.

Data centres can change that.

Data centres are fast becoming public enemy #1 around the globe. They are noisy, dusty, thirsty and demand enormous energy which is why for progressives, the data centre issue represents an amazing opportunity – a chance to bring together lots of different people, in real life, about a real issue that really matters to them.

I love that fighting data centres isn’t about:

asking people to save the entire planet;

making people feel guilty or outdated;

signing up to international treaties;

matching the emissions targets of some bike-riding, herring eating country.

Nor do we have to drive less, jettison our gas central heating, adopt a meat free Monday, darn our socks or separate our recycling more carefully.

Fighting the roll out of data centres is all about self-interest – which is the driving force of the planet. And that is precisely why data centres have the potential to become one of the most significant environmental and community campaigns of the coming decade.

Data centres are different to other more complex issues.

People can see and hear them. They can watch them being built. They can ask where the water and electricity is coming from. They can ask why prime land is being handed over to enormous facilities that employ relatively few people while consuming vast amounts of resources. Data centres are owned by people we distrust and in many cases despise.

This is a retail, mum-and-dad, neighbourhood issue and because of that, it has the potential to unite people who agree on almost nothing else - whether that be trans people in sport or the Voice to Parliament.

Nationally we have up to 290 data centres now and 70 more planned and they are getting bigger and more invasive.

Greens voters can oppose a project because of its environmental impacts. Farmers can oppose it because of water use. Local residents can oppose it because of noise and visual amenity. NIMBYs resent the lack of local planning control. YIMBYs don’t want them located where housing would be the smarter option. What a coalition!

Others may simply resent seeing scarce resources directed towards some of the wealthiest corporations on earth. Ugh!

The beauty of the issue is that people do not need to agree on why they are concerned. They only need to be concerned.

So to campaigners - keep it simple. It’s all about:

Water.

Energy.

Land use.

Noise.

Lack of community input.

These are issues that everyone understands.

In Victoria, where a vulnerable government has already attracted criticism for reducing opportunities for community objections in the planning system, there is a clear opportunity to connect local groups, share resources and build capacity.

Communities facing data centre developments have much to learn from those opposing waste-to-energy facilities and other large-scale industrial projects. The model should be a federation of local campaigns supported by shared research, media assistance, training and communications resources.

It’s time to embrace NIMBY energy.

The goal should not simply be to stop individual developments. Some projects will proceed regardless. The real opportunity is to build a stronger citizen movement capable of demanding greater accountability over decisions that affect local communities.

The opportunity is larger than data centres themselves. Every proposed development creates a new group of residents who suddenly become interested in planning laws, infrastructure, water security, energy policy and local democracy. Whether a particular project is approved or rejected matters but the relationships, skills, networks and confidence built during the campaign may matter even more.

That is how movements are built.

Not by asking people to save the world.

By asking them to defend their community and giving them the tools they need.

Campaigners must resist the temptation to overcomplicate the message. The coalition only works if people are allowed to bring their own motivations. The moment the campaign becomes a vehicle for every other political cause under the sun, the coalition begins to fracture.