AI Data Centre Expansion Brings Destruction: Forests Cleared and Water Turns Brown
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Google’s data-centre expansion in Finland has become controversial after the technology giant was accused of cutting down around 250,000 trees before obtaining all the required approvals.
The land clearance left muddy ground and is suspected of driving packs of wolves into villages in search of food, angering residents.
According to the NY Post, Google cleared around 816 hectares of forest in northern Finland to build data-centre infrastructure supporting the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) industry. The move has prompted public anger and drawn the attention of local authorities over its environmental impact.
Construction is taking place near the small town of Muhos, south-east of Oulu, Finland’s fifth-largest city. Photographs taken after the forest was cleared show barren expanses, muddy pools, mounds of earth and tracks left by construction vehicles.
Wildlife has also been affected by the clearance. The loss of habitat has driven animals out of the area, while predators such as wolves are suspected of looking for food closer to human settlements.
Anni Ranta, a resident of Otanmäki, about 80 kilometres from the project site, said packs of wolves had begun entering the village after wildlife left the cleared forest.
“We’ve had wolves coming into the village because all the wild animals have moved out of the forest,” Ranta told The Guardian.
The forest clearance has also reportedly caused nearby water sources to turn brown and polluted streams flowing into the Oulujoki River.
Local residents have condemned the way Google cleared the land. They are calling on the company to help repair the environmental damage and address the losses suffered by the community as a result of the technology expansion in the area.
“This was done the wrong way. The American way. It makes no sense. Absolutely no sense,” said Antti Jakonen, a resident of Muhos.
Jakonen also called on Google to help restore the local salmon population, which had previously been affected by hydroelectric power development.
Beyond environmental concerns, Ranta fears the data-centre construction could make Finland a target for Russian attacks amid geopolitical tensions in Europe.
“I don’t want them in Finland at all. I don’t like the whole idea of AI and the changes to the world and the way the world is changing. Everything is happening too quickly, too soon,” she said.
The controversy has led Finnish authorities to suspend work temporarily at two Google project sites while they assess the environmental impact.
The company is accused of starting the land clearance before completing all required approval procedures, including an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Finland’s licensing and supervisory authority gave Tuike Finland Oy, the subsidiary handling Google’s project, until 23 October to stop all activities at the sites.
Tommi Muilu, head of the authority’s Environment Department, said that, according to the information available, substantial preparatory work had already been carried out. This included felling trees, stripping topsoil, building project roads and storage areas, and altering waterways and drainage systems.
“In our view, these measures will change the environment and cause impacts. Identifying and assessing those impacts is one of the main purposes of the EIA procedure,” Muilu said.
Google Finland head Antti Järvinen said the company believed it had a permitting basis that allowed large-scale forest clearance.
However, that explanation was criticised by Hanna Halmeenpää, chair of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (SLL), who said Google’s actions showed arrogance.
“They bought a huge area of land and just went straight in and cut it down. It is sheer arrogance and truly astonishing,” Halmeenpää said.
The two Google data-centre sites near Muhos and Kajaani, around 145 kilometres apart, form part of a US$15 billion investment in Finland announced in September. The investment is intended to strengthen Google’s AI infrastructure in the Nordic region.