Climate protesters target tech firms, not AI, as real threat

The movement highlights a shift in public sentiment, with trust in big tech at an all-time low. From 2024 to 2026, local organizing blocked at least $64bn in proposed datacenter buildouts, and bans have been passed in at least 18 states at the local or county level. New York recently passed a statewide moratorium. Protesters criticized the framing of AI as a solution to climate change, labeling such efforts as "greenwashing" and pointing out that datacenters often rely on fossil fuels and strain local water supplies, particularly in drought-prone areas like New Mexico.

Critics also noted the military applications of AI by companies like Palantir, xAI, and Anthropic in the war in Iran. Alex Hanna of the Dair Institute described doomsday warnings from AI experts as a distraction from the ongoing climate crisis and rising fascism. The protests emphasize that the economic and environmental costs of the AI boom are being borne by working communities, often in areas of color and poverty, while billionaires and trillionaires profit from the expansion.