On 6–7 November 2026, more than 100 civic, environmental and digital rights organisations from 15 European countries will hold a coordinated two-day campaign called “Stop Dirty Data Centres”. Participants are demanding a moratorium on the construction of large data centres linked to the development of artificial intelligence.
Protests and actions are planned in Ireland, Poland, Denmark, Finland, Spain, the Netherlands, France, the United Kingdom and other countries. Scheduled events include a picket outside the Polish parliament in Warsaw, a march in Dublin, a demonstration outside a Microsoft data centre in Denmark, a “teach-in” near the site of a planned data centre in Amsterdam, and an event in the Brick Lane area of east London, where a data-centre project has faced local opposition. Organisers expect attendance ranging from a few dozen to several hundred people at the larger gatherings.
Campaign coordinator Owen Espley said communities on both sides of the Atlantic share concerns about the harms of large data centres: “Communities and civil society from across Europe are rising up to stop dirty data centres where they live and demand their politicians impose moratoria on large-scale data centre developments.” The action comes against the backdrop of the US midterm elections, in which opponents of data centres emerged as a notable force supporting the Democrats.
The activists’ main objections concern environmental and social impacts. Data centres consume vast amounts of electricity and water, occupy land and place strain on infrastructure. According to Germany’s Öko-Institut, CO₂ emissions from AI data centres could rise sixfold by 2030 compared with 2023 levels. In the UK, AI data centres alone could emit up to 123 million tonnes of CO₂ over the next ten years — roughly equivalent to the emissions of 2.7 million people.
In Ireland, data centres already accounted for 23% of total metered electricity consumption in 2025; EirGrid forecasts this share could rise to 30% by 2030. Social arguments put forward by the campaign include competition with housing for resources and land, the risk of job losses due to AI, the impact of chatbots on mental health, and rising costs of living. Supporting organisations include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the UK-based group Foxglove.
Europe is rapidly expanding data-centre capacity as it seeks to catch up with the United States and China in the artificial-intelligence race. According to PwC estimates, annual investment in data-centre projects in Europe has risen from €12 billion in 2020 to €25–26 billion this year, with total spending projected to reach €176 billion between 2026 and 2031. Technology companies and governments stress that data centres create jobs during construction and operation and support economic growth through the development of AI.
Organisers are calling for moratoria at EU, national and local levels so that the environmental, social and democratic consequences of the rapid infrastructure expansion can be properly assessed. The campaign presents itself as a response by local communities to the “imposition” of energy- and water-intensive facilities.
