Environmental activist Erin Brockovich has thanked Americans for sending her thousands of pictures of data centers in the United States following her call for help, as she creates a map of the sprawling facilities emerging across the country.
“6,615 submissions have been sent in and counting. That’s how many of you have written to us about AI data centers in your area as of May 31,” Brockovich wrote on Facebook on Monday.
“We’ve put 3,674 of your reports on the map. Look at it. We just ADDED a page for your PHOTOS, too—link below. We update this every day. This entire effort is you. Real people, self-reporting.”
Brockovich is best known for helping build a case against Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) over groundwater contamination in California in the 1990s. PG&E later agreed to a $333 million settlement in 1996, which was then the largest payout in a direct-action lawsuit in U.S. history.
Brockovich has now turned her attention to data centers, the power-hungry facilities fueling the recent boom in the artificial intelligence sector.
Data centers are known to carry a significant environmental footprint as they require huge amounts of water to cool down processors, and use hazardous materials.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
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