Committees join forces against data centers in the Po Valley

The popular committees that have emerged in recent months between Milan and Pavia have decided to unite in a network to more forcefully oppose the proliferation of data centers in the Po Valley. Yesterday in Milan, the first conference of the movement was held, promoted not only by environmentalists but also by local doctors and university professors.

The goal is to build critical mass to have greater weight in decisions regarding future settlements, which, according to the promoters, risk heavily impacting the quality of life and the ecosystem. The main concerns involve air pollution caused by emergency generators and the increase in local temperatures due to heat dispersed by cooling systems.

The protest stems from the rapid spread of new data centers in the region, with about thirty projects around Milan alone. These facilities, necessary to handle the enormous amount of data generated by artificial intelligence and digital services, consume vast amounts of energy and require complex cooling systems.

The committees claim they are not against technological progress but demand that technology serve society, not the other way around. Their mobilization began after observing that the emergency generators of data centers, activated during blackouts, emit pollutants, while the cooling systems release heat that contributes to local warming in an already critical area like the Po Valley, known for its smog and high-temperature issues.