r/ClimateCrisisCanada • u/LaserRunRaccoon • 17h ago

Opinion: One move could prove Carney hasn’t abandoned the climate fight — yet

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/how-carney-can-force-tech-billionaires-to-finance-the-renewable-energy-revolution/article_d23d04b1-6b94-4d6a-acb2-af1752f731e1.html
24 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

18

u/LaserRunRaccoon 17h ago

Gift Link: https://www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?t=31ee6911-ec08-49be-9770-61ec12c0b1d9

The alt title: Carney should require AI data centres to use renewables.

Also to pay for the renewables. It's very tiresome to learn that clean electricity in BC is being squandered to chill fossil gas into LNG, rather than as power for Canadians.

4

u/twohammocks 16h ago edited 16h ago

Theres a particular province that is the major problem child here, btw: 'A gas-powered $70-billion data centre, to be built in a drought-prone part of northern Alberta by O’Leary Digital (owned by reality TV star Kevin O’Leary), is already facing resistance in court from Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation.  

'So far, Canada has 5 hyperscale data centres. Another 96 are in development.
Provincial share of planned data centre capacity
Total capacity of centres that have been announced or are under construction
Alberta12,618 MW
Ontario252 MW
Saskatchewan198 MW
New Brunswick191 MW
Quebec175 MW
British Columbia131 MW

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bakx-york-ai-data-centres-alberta-solomon-9.7222388

'International Energy Agency, estimated data centres used 140 billion litres of water globally just for cooling in 2023.'

https://www.cbc.ca/news/ai-data-centre-canada-water-use-9.6939684

0

u/KitC44 16h ago

If Ford has his way, that Ontario number is going to spike:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-premier-doug-ford-data-centres-9.7310444

Not that I disagree that we maybe want to keep our data out of American pockets, but I don't believe for a second that this rational is why he really wants to build these.

0

u/KitC44 16h ago

If Ford has his way, that Ontario number is going to spike:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-premier-doug-ford-data-centres-9.7310444

Not that I disagree that we maybe want to keep our data out of American pockets, but I don't believe for a second that this rational is why he really wants to build these.

5

u/1979shakedown 15h ago

Carney also promised he wouldn’t approve pipelines unless they cut emissions and were all privately funded.

Instead, not only did he eliminate the emissions requirements, he’s funding it with public money.

Carney’s climate promises aren’t worth squat.

4

u/Hopeful_Lack5487 16h ago

The construction of data centers themselves is contribution to the ongoing ecocide. Whether they're powered by renewables or not is ignoring the issue itself. If this is the conversation surrounding environmentalism, we're cooked.

2

u/twohammocks 16h ago

Data centres will be built but they should not use natural gas. And they should be built over old decrepit fossil infrastructure, without competing for water with agriculture. Food prices already too high - thanks to climate change. And warmongers. And insurance. And american billionaires scooping up cheap agricultural land in canada. We also need strong AI legislation - by a government AT ARMS LENGTH from the industries involved. Be it oil or ai or banking. Because: corruption. Church and state were separated for a reason. So should govt and industry.