In this episode, we share a panoply of voices speaking out about the dangers of AI - Artificial Intelligence - and this insane boom in water-and-power-hungry data centers throughout the U.S. We engage with Steven J. Kung, an advocate against the construction of a massive data center in Monterey Park, California. Steven, a writer and director, shares his insights on the environmental implications, air pollution, blight, industrializing the landscape, in addition to the excessive water consumption and energy demands.

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We also hear from Stanford professor and renewable energy expert Mark Jacobson, who discusses sustainable alternatives for powering data centers. Tech journalist Paris Marx weighs in from the 2025 Bioneers Conference on the social and political implications of this data center bubble economy. For some positive news, legislators in New York introduced the strongest data center moratorium proposal thus far [https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/06/new-york-democrats-propose-sweeping-pause-on-data-center-construction-00768090]. The bill would pause data center construction for three years while appropriate regulations are drafted. Moreover, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders suggests a national moratorium on this data center building boom. Join us as we explore the grassroots movement to protect local communities and the fight for environmental justice.

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Resources/Articles:

True Cost of AI with Paris Marx - Bioneers: https://bioneers.org/the-true-cost-of-ai-water-energy-and-a-warming-planet-ztvz2507/

Stopping a Data Center in Monterey Park

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/california-monterey-park-stop-datacenter-construction

Steven J. Kung is a proud Chinese American resident of Monterey Park who lives 1,300 feet from the proposed data center site. He is a writer-director who co-founded the grassroots activist group No Data Center Monterey Park [https://www.nodatacentermpk.org/].

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder of SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He writes for a PBS SoCal Artbound project called High & Dry [https://www.pbssocal.org/people/high-dry]. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

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Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/

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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt

Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 278