Data Centers are taking over in a big way. The push to have them built and the fabrications of how good they will be for us all.
What they don’t seem to care about or talk about is the environmental effects of building them and then using them.
First depending on the size of the data center being built they have needs from 10 to 200 acres to be built with all infrastructure included.
That is a lot of farmland going to waste. It takes away from food production, removes good topsoil, that stores carbon and filters water. And, not only that it supports billions of microorganisms.
Rich topsoil takes 100-1000 years to generate and once it is removed it cannot be replenished with fill dirt. The soil contains organic matter, nutrients, have root networks, fungal systems, earthworms and natural aeration.
Natural aeration keeps the soil full of tiny air pockets, sort of like a sponge. This allows earthworms to dig tunnels that brings air in helps water drain and allows roots to grow deeper.
When these natural sources are removed by compacting the ground, the soil can no longer help absorb water there by making areas prone to flooding and runoff.
The things farmland supports is not only wildlife but, pollinators, beneficial insects and soil organisms.
Pollinators are things like bees that go plant to plant allowing them to grow the things we eat. Such as, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
When animals lose their habitat people will find them in their backyards looking for food that was lost due to farmland being destroyed for data centers.
Water is another issue of a data center. The data centers use millions of gallons of water per day all based on the size of the data center.
This can deplete wells of those nearby. It can deplete streams and ground water. These data centers can use as much as a town needs. The real threat is this depletion could lead to water shortages for those close by. And if you have a larger data center wells miles out can be depleted of its water over time.
During heat waves the need for water for these data centers will increase further depleting water reserves. Water is needed to sustain life and these data centers will possibly place us in serious jeopardy if we lose our life sustaining water from our wells, etc.
Another negative effect of these data centers is their huge consumption of electricity. It can lead to power outages for home owners.
These centers use as much again depending on size anywhere from the equivalent of the usage by 10,000 to 50,000 singular homes.
Raising electric rates is a big issue. We the people are being charged for their consumption.
All in all the negative consequences of these data centers is as follows:
Loss of Farmland (food production and more)
Loss of Wildlife including insects needed for pollination of plants.
Loss of Water due to the massive amounts needed to cool these data center systems.
Increase in Electric Prices due to massive usage by these centers and the need for upgraded electric grid systems.
Noise Pollution that can impact your sleep.
Light Pollution due to the use of lights 24/7 again which can impact your sleep.
Lowering of Property Values due to the increase in electricity, possible well disruption and loss of water, noise and light pollution.
Increase in Traffic, and dust during construction, traffic delays as they block road access in one direction as they build. Road damage from heavy equipment and even diesel fumes.
Air pollution. Leading to people with lung diseases having an increased difficulty breathing. Increased asthma attacks.
Loss of tranquility of the area. Blocking views of nature or fields now taken up by the huge centers.
Flooding due to the removal of top soil which used to help with drainage. Run off, impacting basements and yards.
Increased stress and anxiety to the people living near the data centers due to all the negative effects.
Who pays for all these negative effects? We do as normal working citizens end up paying for these data centers over use of electricity and water. Damages they cause to our roads can lead to increase taxes to pay for the repairs.
Data centers may be nice in theory, maybe even needed but there has to be a better way to implement and build them. We can not afford as a nation to allow them to destroy all these things for our future generations.
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