If you care about the environment and are upset about corporations and their datacenters your best voting option is neither the red or blue party.
Comment on Imagine not being able to shower, because AI slop generator machines need that water!
Laser@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
People should be angry and upset about this. Similar to the story some weeks ago where residents of a small Texan town (seemingly rightfully at first) complained about the noise pollution of a Bitcoin mining farm. Turns out they all voted Republican. It’s always “we’ll deregulate and bring business” just that the modern businesses they bring are a net negative for the area except for the politicians and the companies. Is almost like these regulations were there for a reason.
Both Bitcoin and AI are stupid VC money that only matters in a very small bubble, and they’re not business in a traditional sense. They just leech resources at their compute centers to make the people who own them and live far away rich. I pity all this who didn’t vote for this kind of bullshit. The rest, enjoy your shorter showers and everything else! But remember, it’s the Dems who want to dictate stuff like water usage. Not in my free country! Oh, the water is gone because a greedy Corp stole it? That’s fine, one day it’s my turn to be rich.
brachiosaurus@mander.xyz 3 weeks ago
Laser@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
It doesn’t matter if you voted Republican. These problems are a direct consequence of Republican policies that they announced before the elections. Fearmongering about “any party left of us will take away your freedoms to limit your resource consumption” is a trait of far-right parties. My point was not about Democrats. It was about people who vote Republican.
The US has a political problem with its voting system that benefits two parties, and they won’t get rid of it. As long as this is the case, no other party matters. Also, Dems usually enact more regulations for the environment; see also California.
I voted neither Reps or Dems because I live in the EU, and my vote always went to Greens or other environmental parties.
bigfondue@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
You could consider them an extractive industry like mineral mining. In this case the electricity and water are turned into profit. It creates some local jobs like construction, but the system administrators are likely hired from elsewhere. The R&D is likely being done elsewhere as well. Most of the money these businesses spend goes straight to Nvidia and the profit goes straight to a small group of executives and investors.
Laser@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
At least mining did create some local jobs, though I do think that the area itself loses out because it’s a finite resource and the environmental impact is always there. And as you said, these modern examples don’t really require a big local workforce. It doesn’t stimulate the local economy a bit.
sugarfoot00@lemmy.ca 3 weeks ago
Presumably they also pay some taxes, although it sounds like may of these places set up in unincorporated areas to avoid such things.
declaredreprimand@piefed.social 3 weeks ago
Often the municipalities will offer tax breaks in order for the mega corps to set up shop in their town, so they often don’t pay taxes.