Google cleared 250,000 trees in Finland for a data center and is accused of starting work without completing an environmental impact assessment
According to The Guardian, Google cleared about 250,000 trees and 816 acres of forest near Muhos in northern Finland for an AI data center, and is accused of starting work before completing the legally required environmental impact assessment. Finland's permitting and regulatory authority has ordered Google's project subsidiary Tuike Finland Oy to suspend all work at two data center sites by October 23 in order to assess the environmental impact. The two sites are part of the $15 billion Finnish AI infrastructure investment Google announced in September. Local residents report that after the forest disappeared, wolves entered the village, and that nearby water sources have turned brown and polluted the streams that flow into the Oulujoki River.
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The report presents the specific basis on which Finnish regulators halted construction, as well as the reactions of local residents and environmental organizations, and can serve as a case study of the conflict between data center expansion and local environmental regulation.