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Environment
Jun 25, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Datacentres Face Surge in Global Climate-Related Lawsuits

AI Summary
A report by the London School of Economics has found a growing number of climate-related lawsuits against datacentres worldwide, challenging their energy sources, water consumption, and air pollution. Cases have been filed in countries including Chile, Ireland, the US, and the UK.

The Rise of Climate Litigation Against Datacentres

The proliferation of datacentres and AI is increasingly at the forefront of environmental litigation around the world, from Chile to Ireland, a report has found.

Global Trends in Climate Change Litigation

In an analysis of about 3,600 climate-related lawsuits filed since 2015, the latest annual review of climate litigation by the London School of Economics (LSE) found a growing number of cases challenging the energy sources, water consumption and air pollution of datacentres, all of which have related climate implications.

Notable Cases and Their Impact

  • In Chile, a lawsuit was filed in 2020 against Google's planned datacentre in Santiago, citing concerns about the impact on the city's already climate-stressed water supply. The lawsuit succeeded in halting the project.
  • In Ireland, the LSE report identified the country as a 'hotspot' for litigation against datacentres, with cases challenging the government's decision to allow the sector to expand despite its significant electricity consumption.
  • In the US, there are ongoing cases in California, Georgia, and Pennsylvania against state regulators for approving new fossil fuel infrastructure linked to datacentres.
  • In the UK, campaigners took legal action against the government's decision to force through construction of a 'hyperscale' datacentre in Buckinghamshire, citing ignored environmental impacts.

The Role of Litigation in Shaping Climate-Related Decision-Making

The LSE report said that cases in both the US and the UK showed how litigation 'can drive changes in climate-related decision-making even in the absence of positive judgments'. It can improve transparency and push for renewable energy sources.

The Future of Climate Litigation and Datacentres

These cases aren't necessarily about stopping development but about avoiding locking in more dependence on fossil fuels. 'It is an opportunity to get these massively energy-intensive developments powered by renewables at the moment in time where that is possible,' said report co-author Joana Setzer.