Northwestern’s Center for Responsible Technology, Policy, and Public Dialogue is continuing its AI policy speaker series with an upcoming conversation:
Title: California Spotlight: The Unequal Burden of Data Centers
Presented by: Lili Gangas and Cecilia Marrinan of the Kapor Foundation
This presentation will examine the disproportionate siting of data centers in California’s marginalized and overburdened communities and explore policy interventions to reduce harm and promote transparency.
Drawing on the Kapor Foundation’s newly released data center report, the discussion highlights how many facilities are located in areas already facing unhealthy air quality, groundwater threats, and hazardous waste exposure.
Through three case studies, the speakers will examine the environmental and public health risks associated with expanding AI infrastructure, as well as gaps in accountability among companies that claim sustainability while exempting data center locations from Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks.
The session will conclude with recommendations for local and state policymakers to advance more responsible and equitable data center development.