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Microsoft is using wetlands and native gardens to 'camouflage' 20-plus data center sites by blending them into nature — critics blast the 'biomimicry' effort as 'lipstick on a pig' amid a 20-year gas… (www.tomshardware.com)
submitted 3 days ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Full title: Microsoft is using wetlands and native gardens to 'camouflage' 20-plus data center sites by blending them into nature — critics blast the 'biomimicry' effort as 'lipstick on a pig' amid a 20-year gas power deal

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[–] 34 points 3 days ago (9 children)

A tale as old as time. Forestry has been doing this forever: clear-cutting where the public can't see it and keeping forests near roads pristine.

Once again: the problem isn't Microsoft or the datacenter builders. It's the governments approving these projects in the first place. Regulation is the only fix. Companies will rape and pillage unless we collectively choose to stop them.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    The problem is Microsoft. It's also the datacentre builders. It's also the governments.

    All three are a fucking problem

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago* (1 child)

    I mean, yes but?

    Create a system that incentivizes people or groups to pursue profit ahead of environmental concerns and that's what you'll get. POSWID and all that.

    Directing anger at Microsoft or a datacenter builder is a very convenient way for those in power to deflect blame away from those who created the system in the first place.

    The only real, systemic solve is to fix the incentives through taxation and regulation.

    Anything else is futile.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

    This is one of my critics of wilderness areas (I love them otherwise). Without having a place for people to be apart of and with the rest of the natural ecology of an area it's too easy to see avoiding active harm as an optional charity instead of a needed part of maintaining a living biosphere

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  • [–] -3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

    Regulation through government won't do jack shit because the politicians writing those policies bury lots of grey areas and confusing language in there, because they're bought and paid for by the very tech companies those laws should regulate.

    TL;dr laws and regulations won't do shit even though verbiage will be cleverly written to seem so.

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