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?

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 other 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