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submitted 2 weeks ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/world@lemmy.world

Developers working for Google have significantly misstated how much carbon two proposed AI datacentres will contribute to the UK’s total emissions in planning documents reviewed by the Guardian.

The tech company wants to build two huge datacentres – one 52-hectare (130 acre) project in Thurrock and another at an airfield in North Weald, both in Essex. To do so, developers are required to submit planning documents calculating how much carbon these projects will emit as a proportion of the UK’s total carbon footprint.

In both cases, they appear to have compared one year of the proposed datacentre’s emissions with the UK’s entire five-year carbon budget, understating the significance of their emissions by a factor of five, according to experts at the tech justice nonprofit Foxglove.

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[-] microcapybara@sopuli.xyz 45 points 2 weeks ago

“Misstated” through an honest error or “blatantly lied”? My money’s on the second.

[-] youcantreadthis@quokk.au 4 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Lying requires consciousness awareness of what you're saying. Slop cultists do not have that. Its why laws don't apply to them either.

[-] nosuchanon@lemmy.world 28 points 2 weeks ago

So the rich and their bought government get AI surveillance data center while everyone else gets meat rations and carbon credits.

Wtf.

[-] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Welcome to the illusion of "freedom" and "democracy" under capitalism.

[-] nosuchanon@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah. Democracy for the wealthy and corporate interests and capitalism for everyone else.

[-] cheese_greater@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Socialism for me, Capitalism for thee

[-] Skankhunt420@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah I've famously never heard of rations for the peoples under systems of governments that aren't capitalist.

Asperity is the word

[-] falidorn@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

The word is lie

[-] Lor@mander.xyz 10 points 2 weeks ago
[-] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago

"Significantly Misstate"

I hate this fascist euphemistic language.

[-] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oh, so they have found a way to make Essex even worse.

this post was submitted on 10 May 2026
207 points (100.0% liked)

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