Moratorium on new AI data centres

That this House recognises that the climate crisis is happening now, with this summer’s extreme heat already causing thousands of deaths across Britain, and that for decades to come it will affect food prices, whether people can work safely, the functioning of our public services and our economic and national security; believes that the impacts of the climate emergency must be central to decisions about major new energy-intensive infrastructure; is deeply concerned at the unchecked expansion of large corporate AI data centres across the country and notes their vast energy and water needs could increase pressure on energy and water supplies, make it harder to meet climate targets, place significant additional pressure on local infrastructure and risk driving up costs for consumers; and calls for a national moratorium on new AI data centres and for the Government, during that moratorium, to work with local communities to fully assess their environmental, public health and infrastructure impacts and weigh these impacts against any potential benefits.