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Wolves roam into Finnish villages after Google destroys 1,300 acres of forest for AI data centers — forest where wolf packs used to live is now an expanse of mud This is thankfully a less common but still very serious side effect of an AI data center being built nearby. Google’s Finland country manager has apologized for unauthorized forest clearings near Muhos, which have turned 816 acres of forest into an expanse of mud. The American search and AI giant has also been told to cease work where it has cleared roughly 500 acres of forest, 55 miles southeast of the village of Otanmäki. Now The Guardian reports that wolves, who used to live in the forests, are roaming into villages neighboring these man-made muddy wastelands. Local anger continues to simmer over the damage done to Finnish forests, as Google seems to have ridden roughshod over regulations in the hurry to build new AI data centers in Finland. However, the report suggests that it isn’t just environmentalists who have a beef with Google. Some families say wolves and other wild animals have entered the countryside villages. This would be a serious human safety concern. “We had wolves coming into the village because all the wild animals moved out of the forest,” explained Anni Ranta, 53, whose family has lived in Otanmäki for generations. Ranta also fears the U.S.-owned data centers will make Finland an even juicier target for Russian aggression. Finland is far from the first place targeted by AI data center developers to complain about environmental effects. This latest report also cites locals grumbling about construction/factory noise, streams turning brown, and rare birds being pushed out, among other unwanted side effects. We’ve seen similar concerns voiced across the U.S. and in other countries. Google’s flouting of environmental policy has been unprecedented and clear, a representative of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (SLL) indicated to The Guardian. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) seems to agree, as it issued an order for Google to stop development near Muhos and Otanmäki. Nevertheless, a Google spokesperson was upbeat. “We will fully comply with LVV’s requests in this matter,” they said. “We look forward to maintaining an active, open dialogue with all authorities to strengthen our partnership with Finland and local organizations.” Google must be hoping the touted business benefits of the data centers will sway the government and/or regulators. We last reported on these in-development data centers in Finland earlier this month, after the Finnish government (LVV) gave notice to Google to stop its construction activities in Muhos and Kajaani (near Otanmäki). Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. - Katorga Why_Me said:Nothing a .223 / 5.56 can't cure.I'm not sure that would be enough to scare off Microsoft. Reply - King_V Ok, definitely not the headline I was expecting. Google MUST bear full responsibility, including remediation of the cleared forest/reforestation, and any and all expenses related to protecting the local people, WITHOUT exterminating the displaced wildlife. And on top of that, enormous, painful financial penalties for the unauthorized (translation: ILLEGAL) clearing of the forest. After all, from the article: Google’s flouting of environmental policy has been unprecedented and clear And if the wolves are hungry? Feed the decision-makers who allowed this to happen to them. Starting with Google's country manager, and working upward along the chain, EVERY one of them who signed off on this. Reply
Wolves roam into Finnish villages after Google destroys 1,300 acres of forest for AI data centers — forest where wolf packs used to live is now an expanse of mud This is thankfully a less common but still very serious side effect of an AI data center being built nearby. Google’s Finland country manager has apologized for unauthorized forest clearings near Muhos, which have turned 816 acres of forest into an expanse of mud. The American search and AI giant has also been told to cease work where it has cleared roughly 500 acres of forest, 55 miles southeast of the village of Otanmäki. Now The Guardian reports that wolves, who used to live in the forests, are roaming into villages neighboring these man-made muddy wastelands. Local anger continues to simmer over the damage done to Finnish forests, as Google seems to have ridden roughshod over regulations in the hurry to build new AI data centers in Finland. However, the report suggests that it isn’t just environmentalists who have a beef with Google. Some families say wolves and other wild animals have entered the countryside villages. This would be a serious human safety concern. “We had wolves coming into the village because all the wild animals moved out of the forest,” explained Anni Ranta, 53, whose family has lived in Otanmäki for generations. Ranta also fears the U.S.-owned data centers will make Finland an even juicier target for Russian aggression. Finland is far from the first place targeted by AI data center developers to complain about environmental effects. This latest report also cites locals grumbling about construction/factory noise, streams turning brown, and rare birds being pushed out, among other unwanted side effects. We’ve seen similar concerns voiced across the U.S. and in other countries. Google’s flouting of environmental policy has been unprecedented and clear, a representative of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (SLL) indicated to The Guardian. The Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) seems to agree, as it issued an order for Google to stop development near Muhos and Otanmäki. Nevertheless, a Google spokesperson was upbeat. “We will fully comply with LVV’s requests in this matter,” they said. “We look forward to maintaining an active, open dialogue with all authorities to strengthen our partnership with Finland and local organizations.” Google must be hoping the touted business benefits of the data centers will sway the government and/or regulators. We last reported on these in-development data centers in Finland earlier this month, after the Finnish government (LVV) gave notice to Google to stop its construction activities in Muhos and Kajaani (near Otanmäki). Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds. Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. - Katorga Why_Me said:Nothing a .223 / 5.56 can't cure.I'm not sure that would be enough to scare off Microsoft. Reply - King_V Ok, definitely not the headline I was expecting. Google MUST bear full responsibility, including remediation of the cleared forest/reforestation, and any and all expenses related to protecting the local people, WITHOUT exterminating the displaced wildlife. And on top of that, enormous, painful financial penalties for the unauthorized (translation: ILLEGAL) clearing of the forest. After all, from the article: Google’s flouting of environmental policy has been unprecedented and clear And if the wolves are hungry? Feed the decision-makers who allowed this to happen to them. Starting with Google's country manager, and working upward along the chain, EVERY one of them who signed off on this. Reply - Vicecrow In Finland, a single wolf pack's territory or hunting ground typically ranges from 173,000 to 297,000 acres (700 to 1,200 square kilometers). Yeah you droop 1% of green land and now the wolves will use smart glasses and read papers Reply - JTWrenn The uber rich and investment class are just gross. This is such a horrible abuse of money and power.Reply - razor512 They need to take steps to better help the wolves integrate into the residential communities. Everyone likes the cute and fluffy wolves, but a common frustration that 99.9% of people will share, is needing to go deep into the forest to pet the cute wolves. And while a different individual, it should apply to the cute wolves as well. https://i.imgur.com/Uj0DWQf.png Reply
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