Warrington Council are looking to build a data centre in place of the Unilever soap factory- allowing this to go ahead will be detrimental to the environment and you. Generative AI has caused immense damage to the lives of millions already, and we will be next if we do not act.

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I’m Georgia, a student in Warrington, and I have seen the growth of generative AI. I admit, I used to be a user of generative AI myself, that was until I was shown the truth about it, and I hope that not only does this campaign stop the production of this data centre, but I also hope that it enlightens more people on the damages that generative AI causes in general, to humans (including you!) and to the earth.

SO, what are the facts?

WATER & ENERGY USAGE

Some people don’t actually realise that water is used to cool down the computers that run generative AI. 5 to 50 ChatGPT prompts use around two litres of water, and producing a 100 word email alone uses up around 500ml of water. Although the numbers seem small, imagine the scale of water that will be gone through daily if we continue to use generative AI to the extent we currently are, and imagine how great of an impact that will have on a town like Warrington. 

You may be telling yourself, “well, water doesn’t just disappear!” and you’d be absolutely correct. The water they use in these cooling systems has certain chemicals pumped into it, which then permanently pollutes the water- it will be undrinkable and unusable to everyone- and this water then gets pumped back out to us. In America, where data centres have already been put in place, entire towns have been evacuated due to the severe drought these centres are causing- the water pressure is next to none, and if you are lucky enough to gain running water, it is brown and unusable, continuously having to purchase & outsource water. Imagine living like that. (1A)

Remember that 100 word email I mentioned? Not only will that prompt take up our water, but our energy too- the very same prompt will use up enough energy to fully charge seven iPhone promaxes.

Figures came out that in order to train “Gpt-3” used up to 5.4million liters of water- this is equivalent to the ANNUAL water usage of 26 UK homes based on a family of four people. Because of this insane water usage, families that still choose to live near data centres are being asked to cut down on their showering and general water consumption… just for a machine?

From an article written in 2025, it states that ALL data centres worldwide use 32% more electricity than the entirety of Britain, so I can only imagine how much that percentage has gone up over a year.(1B)

POLLOUTION

Naturally, these machines come with pollution, and with the water consumption set to almost quadruple the 2023 numbers, the powerplants generate extremely harmful air pollutants such as Nitrogen Oxides(2A). This gas is extremely toxic, triggering asthma symptoms with a buildup of liquid in the lungs, heart attacks and even cognitive decline. Now imagine that being as close to the town centre as the Unilever's factory is.

    HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?

So, you’ve seen the environmental impacts and still, maybe you're not convinced…How about disruption of the peace(3A)? Data centres cause immense noise pollution due to the humming of the generators, fans, and are proven to be heard from hundreds of feet around them. How about bathtime? Looking back into my points on the American lifestyle of living next to a data centre, you too could enjoy the bliss of… no water! Or… severely polluted brown water if you're so lucky to get a drop. Can you imagine not being able to trust the water coming out of your own tap?

ADDRESSING OTHER CONCERNS

The Job market- 

Now, I understand that this data centre could potentially be a means to creating more jobs, but please give me the opportunity to explain my thinking. Realistically, data centres cannot produce as many jobs as you are hoping for. They are essentially 100% computers in that building, we could potentially get a few security jobs and engineering jobs out of it. In addition to this, look into the long term, I feel as though in supporting AI we will lose more jobs than gain, as AI has already taken over millions of jobs from artists, filmmakers, programmers and more, and I can only see more jobs being taken as we implement AI more into our everyday lives.

How could we use this factory space to create more jobs? I personally have spoken to a few people and seen comments across social media asking mainly for a new hospital for Warrington. We could even use the space to create some kind of larger support for other small businesses, imagine how many more jobs could be created if we turned the space into a community project, with more businesses and such. I really believe that the solution can be anything other than AI. Jeez, even bring back the soap factory.

Investments-

I have also seen that this data centre could be used as a potential for investment in Warrington, and I think that this could be an opportunity to mention utilizing the factories closeness to the train station that is direct to major cities like London and Glasgow. What if we used the space to build something worth visiting, building up tourism and therefore the money going into Warrington. 

Through this, I am hoping to open up new opportunities to create ethical ways to create jobs, while also giving people an opportunity to stand up for what they think is right.

(1A)https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8gy7lv448o

(1B)https://www.staxengineering.com/stax-hub/the-environmental-impact-of-data-centers/

(2A)https://wwwn.cdc.gov/tsp/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsDetails.aspx?faqid=396&toxid=69

(3A)https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/communities-are-raising-noise-pollution-concernsabout-data-centers