Environment | Crikey

Local councils are calling to freeze AI data centre construction

Cam Wilson — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:36:15 +0000

Data centres are already delaying houses being built because of their demands for electricity and water, councils have claimed in a first-of-its-kind inquiry into the impact of the digital infrastructure in Australia.

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Mumbrella conference caught in PR firm ‘gaslighting’ controversy as Hannah Ferguson cancels in solidarity

Daanyal Saeed — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 04:32:53 +0000

A group of Murujuga traditional owners have sought legal advice after the listing for a Mumbrella panel referenced a 'misinformation' campaign.

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Direct from the insanity of the US, Australia’s fossil-fuelled data centre moment has arrived

Ketan Joshi — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 23:03:37 +0000

Fossil-fuelled data centre development is the rule in the US, not the exception, induced by the nutty cultural and political conditions in which this growth is occurring. And now, it has hit Australia.

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Australia’s data centre lobby stumbles in its dance to avoid real regulation

Ketan Joshi — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 22:25:35 +0000

Google's new data centre is entirely self-sufficient when it comes to power. Sounds like a good thing, right? Think again.

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‘Conflict of interest’: Nationals-aligned think tank questioned by Nationals senators in Senate committee

Daanyal Saeed — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:40:36 +0000

Nats Senator Matt Canavan has disclosed his 'conflict of interest' in questioning the CEO of an Nationals-aligned thinktank in the Senate this week.

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It’s a record 48.9°C summer. The media doesn’t care, and there’s a few reasons why

Jeff Sparrow — Sun, 01 Feb 2026 22:18:41 +0000

It's getting hotter, but politicians — and crucially, the press that pushed them — don't seem to care. It's all the result of the slow but steady collapse of global stability.

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In killing K’gari dingoes, we prove we value holidays and tourism over natural life

Georgia Harper — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:59:55 +0000

Humans assign value to other sentient beings in very polarising ways, more often than not linked to economic priorities — in this case, tourist money.

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Where did southern Australia’s record-breaking heatwave come from?

Steve Turton — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:03:02 +0000

With temperature records smashed across south-eastern Australia, we're facing the worst heatwave since the Black Summer of 2019-2020.

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Why it’s so easy to lobby to extend Australia’s deadliest coal plants

Ketan Joshi — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 23:22:18 +0000

The news that Origin Energy is extending the lifespan of Australia’s largest coal-fired power station suggests something is going extremely wrong in Australia’s power sector.

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As Greenland melts, Trump sees an opportunity

Jeff Sparrow — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:57:30 +0000

The struggle for Greenland shows that climate denial was only intended for the rubes. For Trump, a melting ice sheet is a golden opportunity.

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