How do we respond to AI data centers? UCC study circle seeks input from local activists

The UCC’s Environmental Justice Ministries and Media Justice Ministry have joined together to study AI data centers and their impact on our local communities. The study circle is seeking input from UCC members and clergy working on this issue in their home communities.

Rev. Tyler Yost, a pastor serving in the UCC’s Western Association of the Illinois Conference, and Cheryl Leanza, the policy advisor for the UCC Media Justice Ministry, are co-facilitating a study group centered around AI data centers and their effects on the environment, our society, and our churches. The group began this effort with the intent to study this issue for six months. The effort will continue through at least January 2027.

“Growing up in rural Wisconsin, hunting and fishing became part of who I am. Our research shows that AI data centers pose a threat to the environment, occupying large areas of land and consuming significant water resources,” said Yost.

Already, the group has engaged with articles, webinars, and interviews from professionals in the field. The group is currently considering to draft a toolkit of resources for UCC members exploring this issue in their communities. The drafting of a possible General Synod resolution is also being discussed.

The group says the research it’s conducted has yielded some concerning trends within the AI industry. The study circle has gathered articles and webinars about power mapping the industry, encouraging it to ask questions like “Who is benefiting from this data center?” and “How are these deals being implemented at the local level?” The group found that, in some cases, the AI industry is making backroom deals with local leaders who sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that forbid them from discussing the details.

The group also found growing concerns about the power requirements of these data centers, which require new fossil-fuel power and draw energy from local power grids. Similarly, data centers can consume more water than they return and often introduce pollutants into the water in the form of debris and additives. Noise pollution is also a factor since they can emanate a constant humming sound 24/7, which affects local neighbors and wildlife.

“AI data centers are a cross-cutting issue, and through this work we are looking to both gather information about what we’re seeing on this issue across the denomination and to gather resources for our UCC clergy and members,” said Leanza.

As part of this work, the data center study circle would like to hear from UCC members. If you are addressing this issue on the ground, standing up for your communities, participating in city council meetings, or holding protest signs, please reach out. The study circle would like to learn directly from your experiences, understand your needs, share your local strategies, and learn why you’re engaging on this issue.

The study circle invites UCC members and clergy to email the study circle at info@uccmediajustice.org. Please put DATA CENTERS in the subject line and share your experiences, tips, and tricks for our research and toolkit. We may also invite some individuals to join a future meeting or a discussion.

The mission of United Church of Christ Media Justice Ministry (UCC Media Justice) is to create just and equitable media structures that give meaningful voice to diverse peoples, cultures, and ideas.  It was founded by the UCC in 1959 to advocate for a more just, accessible, diverse and accountable media. Learn more at www.uccmediajustice.org.

From the birth of the environmental justice movement in the 1980s to the local ministries of churches throughout the country today, the United Church of Christ has been making a profound difference in caring for God’s creation. Learn more at https://www.ucc.org/what-we-do/justice-local-church-ministries/efam/environmental-justice-ministries/

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