"For nearly a century, miners used canaries, small yellow-greenish songbirds known for their high metabolisms and rapid breathing, to detect toxic gases in the mines. When a canary showed signs of distress, it gave miners enough time to evacuate before succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning. The songbirds were replaced by electronic gas detectors more than 40 years ago, but the saying "canary in a coal mine" is still a common metaphor for potential danger."
"In June, Amazon announced that it was investing $20 billion in data centers in the state, including one in Luzerne County next to a nuclear power plant. Data centers are demanding so much energy that entire coal plants previously scheduled for closure are being kept open to run them. Between the environmental cost and questionable promises of good jobs to people who need them, Amazon's "investment" is a canary in a coal mine for places like northeastern Pennsylvania."
AI data centers are expanding across the United States and are placing large new demands on regional electricity systems. Amazon committed $20 billion for data centers in Pennsylvania, including a site in Luzerne County adjacent to a nuclear power plant. The electricity needs of data centers are substantial enough that coal plants slated for closure are being kept open to supply them. These developments pose environmental costs and deliver uncertain job outcomes for residents of former industrial regions. Luzerne County's coal-mining legacy and visible acid mine drainage in local rivers underscore the environmental stakes.
Read at Nonprofit Quarterly | Civic News. Empowering Nonprofits. Advancing Justice.
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