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Climate Groups Shift Focus to Opposing Data Center Construction
Local campaigns against new data centers have drawn participation from climate organizations after the Green New Deal Network ended operations. Activists cite electricity demand, water use, and ratepayer costs as primary concerns.
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Climate organizations have redirected efforts toward blocking new data center projects after the Green New Deal Network ceased operations on December 31, 2025. The coalition, formed by climate, labor, and social justice groups, stated that conditions had changed and its structure no longer matched current needs.
Former network director Saul Levin began organizing opposition to data centers more than a year earlier through a Signal group that now includes 350 members in 40 states.
The Sunrise Movement has formed local groups in Dallas, Denver, Pittsburgh, and Lansing, Michigan, to contest proposed facilities. Executive director Aru Shiney-Ajay said the organization has recorded increased activity in these locations. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report projects data centers will account for roughly one-third of U.S. electricity demand growth between 2024 and 2030.
The International Energy Agency estimates a typical AI data center uses as much power as 100,000 households, with some larger projects reaching 20 times that amount.
More than 500 environmental and climate groups signed a letter to Congress this month requesting a nationwide construction moratorium. Greenpeace USA, Third Act, GreenLatinos, and Food and Water Watch were among the signatories. The Sierra Club did not sign the letter but stated in an emailed release that data centers should be powered by renewable sources rather than fossil fuels.
Food and Water Watch organizing director Thomas Meyer said shifting existing renewable output to data centers does not increase total clean generation. Seattle’s City Council approved a moratorium on new large data centers earlier this month after 350 Seattle joined the effort.
