When Rachel Mataraki discovered that one of Europe’s largest AI data centres could be built near her parents’ home in North Devon, she began questioning the impact on the local community and environment. But as a Christian, is opposing such developments simply NIMBYism, or could it be part of our God-given responsibility to care for creation?
Lying in bed with a summer cold, I scrolled past a Facebook post about a AI data centre being built in Great Torrington, then scrolled back, shocked. It was in my parent’s village. Immediately joining the Facebook group, I saw that most residents were scared and angry, wondering why this area had been chosen rather than a more industrial site. A letter had arrived with no warning, explaining that Xlinks wanted to build one of Europe’s largest AI data centres and battery storage units – approximately the size of 640 football fields – close to my parents’ home.
Great Torrington is the site of the last battle of the Civil War in 1646 and is known for tourism, farming and nature. Having grown up in a small village in North Devon from the age of four, I can understand why residents are concerned. North Devon itself is part of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and the UK government had also issued a security report stating that food scarcity was a real risk should things kick off globally.
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Three weeks later, I had gone from knowing nothing about data centres to realising the huge potential costs of them (24/7 operations, infrasound, water usage, wildlife destruction and building disruption, with construction expected to last six to seven years). Local councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, who had been spearheading government petitions, chatted with me via text, and I was able to talk to my parents and local friends, all of whom were deeply upset.
Former Tory Chancellor George Osborne is quoted as saying that data centre NIMBYs are holding Britain back, and I questioned myself: if it were in someone else’s ‘backyard’, would I ignore it as simply being the necessary cost of technological development? And, more deeply, is NIMBYism – not in my backyard – part of God’s call in Genesis 1 to steward creation and take responsibility as co-heirs, or is it something more self-centred? What does it mean to love our neighbours and use technology?
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As a Christian, I believe that there is a difference between trying to shift a problem from our own backyards onto someone else’s and realising the very real effects on people we care about.
As a Christian, I believe that there is a difference between trying to shift a problem from our own backyards onto someone else’s and realising the very real effects on people we care about. NIMBYism says, “Anywhere but here.” Loving your neighbour digs deeper and asks, “How will this affect everyone?” It is often about comfort and convenience, or at least minimising nuisances. Christian care for the environment is more about looking at the bigger impacts – in this case, on both people and land.
Jesus was clear that loving our neighbour isn’t a vague sentiment (Mark 12:31). My parents’ neighbours have names. Some farm land, walk their dogs along the lanes and sit in the pews of the local church. When Paul writes, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition… look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3–4), it cuts both ways. It challenges the objector who only cares when it’s close to home. It also challenges the decision-maker who is far away from the consequences.
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As a trained forest bathing facilitator, I have watched what happens when people spend time in nature.
As a trained forest bathing facilitator, I have watched what happens when people spend time in nature. Shoulders drop. Breathing slows. Peer-reviewed research from Japan suggests that time in green spaces has measurable benefits for body and mind. Genesis 1 describes a world God called good, and in verses 29–30, he gives seed-bearing plants for food. That is the first provision in Scripture: land that feeds. Then Genesis 2:15 tells us humanity was placed in the garden “to work it and take care of it.” The Hebrew words, avad and shamar, mean to serve and to guard.
I don’t want to caricature the other side. Xlinks says the project could support thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent roles, and could help the UK move towards lower-carbon energy. These are real benefits. Families need work. Climate change is also a creation-care issue, but it’s also worth noticing that AI data centres can now be treated as nationally significant infrastructure, which may bring decisions further away from the people who live beside them.
Perhaps the question isn’t “Jobs, technology or nature?” but rather, who gets heard, who bears the cost, and what can we never get back?
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