Show Notes
Governments are prioritizing data centers at the expense of communities and the planet, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Matt Haugen joins Paris Marx to discuss how national strategies are dismantling environmental protections while enriching a handful of megacorporations, and what an alternative agenda could look like. Matt Haugen is Research and Editorial Manager at the Climate and Community Institute. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Supp...
More from Tech Won't Save Us
Hyperscale data centers are not an inevitable infrastructure, but a product of capitalist financialization pushing us further from a livable future. Ingrid Burrington interviews Paris Marx about his new book Hyperscale, discussing the history behind the rise of hyperscale data centers and how companies are obscuring their true social and environmental costs to maximize profits before the overinflated bubble bursts. Ingrid Burrington is the author of Networks of New York and host of RIP Corp. ...
Data centers are being approved without proper oversight into their broader impacts, but there are organizations pushing back. Martha Dark joins Paris Marx to discuss her work at Foxglove and how legal challenges against data centers are imposing stronger rules and reframing false narratives from policymakers and Big Tech. Martha Dark is co-executive director of Foxglove. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hewson. Support the show on Patreon. Also mentio...
Brazil’s renewable energy is being exploited to justify unnecessary data center construction. Laís Martins joins Paris Marx to discuss why the renewable energy sector is behind a rise in Brazilian data center development, how this is impacting communities, and the ways this greenwashing is redirecting funding away from more socially progressive projects. Laís Martins is a technology reporter at The Intercept Brasil. The podcast is made in partnership with The Nation. Production is by Kyla Hew...
Tech companies are working with the fossil fuel industry to push unnecessary data center projects while misrepresenting the climate impact — and governments are letting it all happen. Ketan Joshi joins Paris Marx to discuss how the data center buildout is driving a surge in fossil fuel investment, and how it’s all playing out in Australia. Ketan Joshi is a climate writer and data analyst based in Oslo working with climate and environmental groups. The podcast is made in partnership with The N...
Paris’ new book Hyperscale: The Ambition and Excess of Big Tech’s Data Empires is coming out in October. To celebrate, we’re revisiting the series that planted the seeds for his deep dive into hyperscale data centers, the communities they’re affecting, and the future Silicon Valley is trying to build. This is episode 4 of Data Vampires, a special four-part series from Tech Won’t Save Us. The show is hosted by Paris Marx. Original production on Data Vampires was by Eric Wickham. Current produc...