As the world around us inevitably changes, our politics reflect those changes. And with the new implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI), yet another dividing issue has arisen. Especially in the upcoming gubernatorial election, the debate around data centers is coming up more and more. Both sides are weighing the question back and forth, talking about economic development, job opportunities, noise pollution.

To me, the answer couldn’t be clearer. The climate crisis is already the worst it’s ever been. There have been 49,608 wildfires across the nation just in 2026 (National Interagency Fire Center) and the UN FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture) estimates that globally 10 million hectares of forest are cut down annually. Extreme weather patterns have been ravaging the nation, not only racking up billions of dollars in costs but also killing citizens and destroying their homes and towns. I added the wildfire statistic specifically because in Northwestern Wisconsin, we’re lucky to be sheltered from the brunt of the climate crisis. But in the past and most notably this July, it was impossible to miss the heavy smoke that drifted in from the Canadian Boundary Water wildfires. These disasters aren’t coincidentally spiking up in the last few decades, they’re a direct result of our carelessness when dealing with the environment. With so much extensive research and evidence to prove that our Earth is struggling, it completely shocks and upsets me to see that politicians can even consider for a moment destroying any more of our precious land to satisfy an agenda.

The last thing we need is loud, polluting data centers that complicate water systems and displace families out of their homes. In fact, I truly can’t think of a worse variable to introduce to our Earth, which is already in an incredibly fragile and weak state. I’m fully aware that not all people on the left side of the political spectrum agree with me. Some see data centers as an opportunity for economic gain for their cities to fund public programs. While the idea behind this is understandable, we can’t resort to destroying the land around us to fund our programs and benefit our cities just because the federal government cannot correctly budget the money we need to function. We might need to fight harder to bring funding in for projects and programs that matter, but at least we won’t be succumbing to big tech companies.

We as a party need to have zero tolerance for data centers. If we get lenient on allowing them, we’re moving further away from our values. The land on our Earth needs to be protected and preserved at all costs, not sold to help billion-dollar companies achieve their expansion goals. We can’t forget what we stand for when it comes time to vote. I’m sure that most of us enjoy having clean water and visiting public parks, don’t forget that when it comes time to cast your ballot or vote on a bill. No amount of money can regrow entire forests or reverse the damage that data centers threaten. It’s up to us to be good stewards of the land and educate ourselves and others, it matters.

About the Writer:

Hi! I’m Kana Rasmussen. I’m a student at Memorial High School and I would consider myself to be pretty politically active and progressive. I’m the co-president of the High School Democrats and I love running, writing, and playing a variety of instruments. I’m really excited to be running the club and writing for the Dems this year. We’re always welcoming new members and would LOVE to have you and your friends. Even if you’re not sure all of your values align, that’s completely okay: stop by and join us!

No Room For Compromise: AI Data Centers