Friends of the Earth calls on Irish politicians to reject the AI power grab

Friends of the Earth Ireland calls on Irish political leaders to strongly oppose AI lobbyist attempts to place further pressure on Europe and Ireland’s grid systems for the sake of shareholder profit.

This week has seen worrying developments with Big Tech lobbyists pushing for the EU’s AI Act to be loosened during the AI Summit in Paris, attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Big tech has looked to undermine and unpick key human rights and climate protections under the AI Act. Big tech is looking to secure special carve-outs from the AI Act, such as removing legal obligations on companies that require them to prove they have done everything they could to mitigate harm that their activities have to fundamental rights or to ensure they lower their environmental impacts. 

 

Friends of the Earth believes the motivation behind any loosening of regulations is at odds with the public interest, and is entirely to facilitate the building of more data centres and the power of companies to access public and private data. Data Centres in Ireland are already maxing out our electricity system and plugging directly into the fossil gas network. Allowing the Tech Industry to continue to expand its markets without limits is a huge risk to lives and livelihoods after a year of record-breaking temperatures and extreme weather at home and abroad.

 

Rosi Leonard, Data Centre Campaigns Lead with Friends of the Earth Ireland commented: 

“Private investors are using the limited protections we have against AI expansion into private and personal data as a stick to beat European leaders with. Ireland is at the coalface of the AI debate with Data Centres here already soaking up renewables and plugging directly into the fossil network, producing huge emissions and stressing our energy grid for private profit. What these lobbyists forget to say is their business is already booming. Allowing the infinite expansion of the Data Centre industry has real physical consequences for communities across Ireland and Europe by accelerating climate breakdown. We need to be doing more to regulate their activities, not less. We need to shout stop.”

 

At the same time that Irish politicians attended the industry summit, Beyond Fossil Fuels, a leading European climate organisation published new research warning that the electricity demand of data centres in Europe could see a 160% increase by 2030, more than the annual consumption of Spain. Even at lower estimates, Beyond Fossil Fuels has shown that the additional demand from the Data Centre industry would be as high as Portugal and Poland combined in 5 years, producing the equivalent amount of C02 as Germany’s gas plants produced in 2024. In Ireland where the majority of our homes and services are still reliant on expensive and polluting fossil fuels, it is clear that this additional demand poses a major threat to a more sustainable transition to renewable energy.  Over the past five years, all of the additional wind energy produced in Ireland has already been outstripped by the growth of Data Centres here.  

 

Leonard continued:

“Irish politicians need to hold firm and uphold the Climate Law, which they voted for just five years ago. Preventing the industry from using Ireland as a data dumping ground is vital for public health and wellbeing. As the awful fallout of Storm Eowyn has shown, we need to prioritise the upkeep of our energy grid and the development of renewables for homes and public services and invest in a just transition by training more workers to deliver and maintain these networks. We reiterate our call for a moratorium on Data Centres in Ireland.”

 

 

ENDS