Data Centers' Thirst for Our Water

 

The Insider Newsletter The Dalles Mayor Richard Mays looks at the Columbia River from his hilltop home in The Dalles, Oregon. | Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, Files Data Centers' Thirst for Our Water Data centers siphon tremendous amounts of water to cool off constantly running servers. In the Dalles, a small town on the banks of the Columbia River in Oregon, recent reports indicate that Google's hub of data centers accounts for 40 percent of the city's total water usage. Now, a new bill threatens to remove federal public land protections, and local advocates fear that cold water streams in Mt. Hood National Forest might be diverted to feed more data centers. If passed, water would be siphoned from an already fragile watershed that feeds into the Columbia River, threatening Indigenous treaty rights and the health of endangered salmon. Read about the growing fight over data centers and efforts to protect our most important shared resource.   Read More Take Action  Demand Corporate Climate Action High grocery prices, skyrocketing utility bills, home insurance that keeps going up -- the costs of corporate greed and extreme weather are hitting our wallets more and more. Big companies created this problem, but they can also be part of the solution if we hold them accountable. Spring is shareholder season, which means public companies hold annual meetings to vote on critical issues, including hundreds of climate-related proposals that shape their sustainability practices. One of the best ways we can push them to act is through public pension funds, which invest trillions of our tax dollars and have a significant voice in these shareholder meetings. Companies are voting right now, so make your voice heard: Tell your state's pension fund to vote for a better future! Photo by Henrik Kam The Good News on Renewables (and the Threat That Could Undo It) On Tuesday, May 12, join a live discussion on the state of clean energy. Together, we'll celebrate recent wins, learn how affordable solar and wind are already protecting our health and climate, and take action. Together, we'll work to stop a new Republican bill that would grant total legal immunity to Big Oil and Gas, threatening our ability to build a clean energy future that works for everyone. Join our livestream to hear the good news and act collectively to defend our progress! Photo by Markus Spiske Choosing People and Workers Over Profit From canceling clean energy projects to rolling back efficiency standards and gutting the agencies that protect workers and families from pollution, the Trump administration's agenda is being shaped by deep ties to the oil and gas industry. Now, the Trump administration is paving the way for industry-friendly trade deals that further hurt everyday people. We cannot afford more backroom deals written for corporate polluters at the expense of everyday people, workers, farmers, and the health of our environment. Tell Congress to side with workers and pass trade policies that protect our climate and communities from corporate greed. Support Our Work Backpackers in Kings Canyon National Park in California. | Photo by Miya Tsudome Hit the Trail This Summer Leave the crowds behind and immerse yourself in the rugged beauty of the backcountry with fellow Sierra Club members. Our seasoned volunteer leaders handle the logistics like plotting routes and meal planning so you can focus on making memories. There is still time to book your summer backpacking trip! From Sierra Magazine Two women from the Iranian Red Crescent Society amid smoke from a US-Israel strike on a Tehran oil storage facility. | Photo by Vahid Salemi/AP The US-Israel War on Iran Has Precipitated the Biggest Energy Crisis Since the 1970s Trump's war on Iran has created a fossil fuel supply crunch that is driving prices up on everything from gasoline and jet fuel to food and fossil fertilizers. The crisis comes at a time when renewable energy deployment has been surging and the costs of solar, wind, and batteries have fallen dramatically. Despite Trump's attempts to stop progress, the United States is getting more power from the sun and wind than ever -- and the rest of the world is making strides to transition even faster. Read how nearly 60 countries across the globe are plotting a course away from oil, gas, and coal toward renewable energy. Wildlife Atlanta collects information on coyote distribution, behavior, and health. | Photos courtesy of Wildlife Atlanta Cute, Cuddly, and Wild: It's Coyote Puppy Season Coyotes are America's most familiar wild canine. With spring well underway, many urban coyote families are rearing their young, perhaps within earshot of your front door. Whether it's in old tires, sheds, or holes under homes, these wild denizens of the city are well adapted to carving out a niche among us. Learn how humans and coyotes can coexist, even in the unlikeliest of places. The Great Salt Lake during a drought in 2021. The lake has been shrinking for years. | Photo by Rick Bowmer/AP What Utah's Move to Protect the Fossil Fuel Industry Could Foreshadow In March, much of the southwestern United States sweltered under a record-shattering heat wave that scientists determined would have been "virtually impossible" without climate change. That same month, Utah passed a law that shields polluters from accountability for contributing to the planet-warming emissions that are driving more deadly and dangerous heat waves, wildfires, storms, flooding, and other climate impacts. Now more states are looking to follow suit as part of a larger, coordinated effort backed by right-wing interests. But the news isn't all doom and gloom. Other states are taking the opposite approach and moving to make polluters pay for mounting climate costs. Read how states are choosing (or failing) to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for their climate damage. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up to receive the Insider here. Donate We have no time to waste. We must act at unmatched speed on an unprecedented scale to confront the crises facing our country and our planet. We can only be successful by building a movement that works for everyone. Learn more about the Sierra Club.

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