Joint Letter: Environment, climate, and community orgs call for a moratorium on AI Hyperscale Data Centre development
August 4, 2026
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On August 4, 2026, AWA, the Calgary Climate Hub, Climate Justice Edmonton, the Calgary-Philippines Solidarity Organizing Group, The Council of Canadians National and Edmonton Chapters, the Southern Alberta Group for the Environment, and Water Watchers sent a joint letter to provincial and federal government officials requesting a moratorium on the development of Hyperscale Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centres and their associated infrastructure until the full impacts are known to the public.
Four major concerns are discussed in detail in the letter:
- Power demands from proposed data centres are significant, which may strain the grid, compete for supply, and deepen fossil fuel dependence in the province.
- Natural gas production and consumption will markedly increase to generate the required power, which has negative implications for the environment, public health, and climate change, as well as real-world costs.
- Data centres, natural gas power plants, and any carbon capture and storage technology used onsite all require large volumes of water, which many watersheds in Alberta cannot afford to lose.
- The economic benefits for the public aren’t clear, engagement has been limited, and processes and projects are not transparent.
The letter can be read in full here.