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When Your New Neighbor Is… a Data Center

When Your New Neighbor Is… a Data Center

Author: Climate One from The Commonwealth Club June 26, 2026 Duration: 1:01:40
Climate One
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Across the country, developers are racing to build huge new buildings to house computers to fuel the AI boom, creating an explosive demand for new energy. While some hyperscalers seek renewable energy, others are turning to fossil fuels. But concerns around high electric bills, air and noise pollution and water depletion have generated widespread community pushback against these giant facilities, and it seems opposing data centers is a bipartisan issue. Many cities and states are working to rapidly update zoning and other local regulations to respond to the dual pressures of developer interest and constituent backlash. Since data center development isn’t slowing down, what policies or creative strategies can lessen the impacts for local communities and ratepayers? Guests:  KeShaun Pearson, Executive Director, Memphis Community Against Pollution  Rebecca Egan McCarthy, Freelance Journalist Jason Plautz, Reporter, E&E News and Politico Astrid Atkinson, CEO, Camus Highlights: 00:00 Introduction 3:15 KeShaun Pearson on updates to the Colossus data center pollution 6:18 KeShaun Pearson on state regulators allowing an expansion of gas turbines  8:08 KeShaun Pearson on the effect of the pollution on the community 16:24 KeShaun Pearson on what he hopes the lawsuits can achieve  19:38 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on Archbald and data center development  22:26 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on who has the power to regulate data center projects 28:16 Rebecca Egan McCarthy on data center development outside of Archbald 30:21 Jason Plautz on changing attitudes toward data centers 34:32 Jason Plautz on where there is meaningful regulation happening 39:27 Jason Plautz on state level regulatory changes  41:26 Jason Plautz on the pace of data center development 44:45 Astrid Atkinson on the effects of data center energy load on the grid 46:19 Astrid Atkinson on what flexibility means in the energy world 50:39 Astrid Atkinson on hyperscalers paying for their energy 55:22 Astrid Atkinson on how some policy changes can help communities  For show notes and related links, visit ⁠our episode page⁠ at climateone.org --- Join Climate One for an induction cooking demonstration night on July 21, at 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. Come enjoy delicious food and wine, and learn about why cooking with magnets beats cooking with gas. Tickets available at ⁠climateone.org/events⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The conversation about our changing planet is often reduced to headlines and political noise, but Climate One moves beyond that. Hosted by Greg Dalton, Ariana Brocious and Kousha Navidar, this podcast from The Commonwealth Club creates a space for the full, complex dialogue we need. Each episode features candid discussions with scientists, policymakers, activists, and thinkers who are on the front lines. The focus is on drawing connections-between personal action and economic systems, between daunting scientific reports and tangible community solutions. You’ll hear analysis that doesn’t shy away from the severity of our situation while actively exploring pathways for genuine progress, from technology and finance to culture and justice. This isn't about alarmism or easy answers; it's about equipping listeners with a deeper understanding of the intertwined challenges and opportunities. Tuning into this podcast means joining a crucial exploration of how we adapt, mitigate, and fundamentally rethink our relationship with the natural world. The dialogue here is built on the idea that confronting the climate emergency honestly, in all its facets, is the first necessary step toward shaping a livable future.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

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Podcast Episodes
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse Won't Stop Talking About Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:18
How should Democrats campaign on climate? Some are quietly shelving climate-specific language ahead of the midterms in favor of terms like “energy crisis” and “affordability.” But Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island…
As the Midterms Approach, What’s Electrifying the Electorate? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:15
As the 2026 midterms approach, voters are contending with concerns around affordability, the AI boom, and climate disruption in their daily lives. AI data centers have become the wild card in energy politics, driving up…
New Nuclear, Old Challenges. What Now? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:45
Growing power demands – coupled with increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters – have led even staunch environmentalists like NRDC head Manish Bapna to rethink their past opposition to nuclear power. Three Mile Isla…
The Little EVs That Could Displace Big Oil [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:38
While most Americans think of a truck or a sedan when they hear “electric vehicle,” a quiet revolution is happening in other countries on two and three wheels. In China and India, the electric vehicles doing the most to…
ENCORE: Protest and Beyond: Annie Leonard On What You Can Do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:50
Protest is the ultimate in equal-opportunity political action. As Annie Leonard, former executive director of Greenpeace USA says, “Making change is like laying a stone path across the garden. Peaceful protest may be eve…
It’s Too Damn Hot… So What Can We Do? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:39
We all complain about the heat, yet it's a climate threat we routinely underestimate. In the U.S., extreme heat kills more people each year than floods, fires and hurricanes combined. About 16,000 excess deaths were reco…
ENCORE: Benji Backer and Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Common Ground [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:23
At a time when nearly everything feels polarized, Benji Backer is trying to carve out a different path, one where caring about the natural world isn’t a partisan issue. As the founder of Nature Is Nonpartisan, he’s bring…
Hollywood, Baseball, Cage Fights, and… Climate [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:03
When it comes to climate, we have the facts, but we aren’t moving fast enough. So we need to get climate education and solutions into the places where people already spend their time. Pop culture offers endless opportuni…
How Do I Say This… [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:22
It’s becoming increasingly clear that how we talk about climate change matters as much as the science or policy itself. The words we use carry weight, and climate communicator Susan Joy Hassol says specific word choices,…

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