Thousands of demonstrators packed Edinburgh to protest artificial intelligence data centre expansions on Friday.
Protesters marched down the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament to voice fierce opposition against regional infrastructure plans.
Groups ranging from Friends of the Earth Scotland to local community initiatives joined forces during a global day of action coinciding with UN climate talks, Edinburgh News reported.
Demonstrators held rolling roadblocks along the historic route as police managed the midday march.
“Rather than build homes and invest in public infrastructure, this government is imposing data centres on communities with no thought for what people want,” said Gordon Maloney, chair of Living Rent Edinburgh.
Campaigners warn that 23 proposed hyperscale facilities could consume half of Scotland’s carbon budget. Friends of the Earth Scotland argued that approving the sites would generate 208 million tonnes of greenhouse gases, threatening the nation’s net zero by 2045 ambitions.
“We can’t allow our remaining climate budget to be wasted on AI slop instead of vital services, food production and things people genuinely need,” said Kim Pratt, senior campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, told Holyrood.
Local groups point to massive energy footprints and water consumption concerns. Proposed sites range from a 200MW project at the former Cockenzie Power Station to a massive 1,000MW facility in Dumfries and Galloway.
“Momentum is building and local communities are becoming more aware of the size and scale of these proposed hyperscale AI data centres which will be on our doorsteps,” said Gail Scott from the Cockenzie Communities Action Group.
Scottish ministers faced criticism for delaying a comprehensive national strategy while developers continue submitting planning requests. Holyrood’s climate action committee recently launched an inquiry examining potential regional impacts.
Witnesses told MSPs that strategic planning could harness waste heat to warm homes in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Simon Kerr, head of heat networks at SAV-Systems, suggested that zoning could turn facilities into district heating assets.
“Data centres must be designed for heat capture and heat reuse. If it doesn’t, it shouldn’t be allowed to go anywhere near us. We can’t allow heat to be dumped,” Kerr said, according to Sustainable Construction.
