Webinar: Behind the Cloud – The social and environmental impacts of AI data centres
Published on 29 September 2026
In this Institution of Environmental Sciences webinar, Rory Murphy (University of Exeter, ACCESS) explores the impacts of AI data centres by reviewing academic research, international case studies, and public engagement data from the UK’s largest approved data centre planning application.
Rory’s talk sets academic evidence alongside the experiences of communities living near data centres, asks how the UK planning system identifies AI’s socio-environmental impacts, and considers to what extent that system addresses public concerns.
It draws on research conducted for an ACCESS Flex Fund project on Environmentally Just AI.
A report accompanying the research will be available soon.