10 February 2025
Citizens expose Big Tech’s toxic ‘love affair’ calling on industry to dump fossil fuels
Paris, 10 February 2025 – This morning, a dozen European citizens held a valentines-themed photo action on the opening of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit (10-11 February) at the Grand Palais in Paris, calling on Big Tech to “dump” fossil fuels.[1]
© Basile Barjon / Beyond Fossil Fuels
Climate supporters held a 5×1.5m banner reading “Big Tech, time to dump fossil fuels”, and carried 1.5m diameter black heart-shaped balloons highlighting the “toxic love” connection between Big Tech and fossil energies.[2]
The activity coincided with the publication of a breaking study by Beyond Fossil Fuels, which shows how the growth of new data centres could put a strain on Europe’s power systems, undermining its climate ambitions.[3] It reveals that this development in Europe is leading to a surge in power demand, posing a serious risk of escalating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)—either by directly sourcing their energy from fossil gas or by pushing other sectors onto fossil fuels.
The study comes as world leaders and Big Tech CEOs meet at the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in Paris to discuss the impacts of the sector on society, economy and the environment. It estimates that electricity demand of data centres in Europe could rise by up to 160% by 2030 reaching 287 TWh. This is more than Spain’s total electricity consumption in 2022.[4] The study explores implications for emissions whether this growth in electricity demand is met largely by fossil fuels or with additional renewable energy.
Pierre Terras, Corporate Programme Lead, Beyond Fossil Fuels, said: “Ahead of Valentine’s day, we want to expose the toxic love affair between Big Tech and fossil fuels. As our study unveils, meeting the additional electricity requirements from new data centre growth could fuel the climate crisis. This is also true for the rest of the supply chain including semiconductors who are today largely being manufactured in Asia and powered by fossil fuels. Any expansion must go hand in hand with the buildout of additional renewable energy. If tech companies cannot bring their demand growth in line with climate science—it must be limited.”
The report follows the publication of a joint call by more than 100 civil society organisations urging policymakers and leaders to acknowledge AI’s environmental harms.[5] Civil society representatives want Big Tech to take full responsibility for their environmental impact, move away from climate-wrecking fossil fuels, adopt renewable and sustainable solutions, ensure greater transparency and clean up their supply chains.
Pierre Terras, Corporate Programme Lead, Beyond Fossil Fuels, said: “One of the aims of this AI summit is to ‘drive the beneficial social, economic and environmental outcomes in the public interest’. If world leaders are seriously committed to this goal, they must call without hesitation for AI to stop contributing to burning more fossil fuels and end this toxic relationship.”
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CONTACTS
Luisa Colasimone, Communication Consultant, Beyond Fossil Fuels, [email protected] , mobile +351 910 678 050 (also WA/Signal) | +32 479 100 067
Jill McArdle, International Corporate Campaigner, Beyond Fossil Fuels, [email protected], mobile +32 456 723 993
Pierre Terras, Corporate Programme Lead, Beyond Fossil Fuels, [email protected] , mobile +33 646 90 21 04
NOTES
[1] The Artificial Intelligence Summit is hosted at the Grand Palais in Paris, 10-11 February.
[2] Photos and videos available in BFF’s media library
[3] BFF’s report: SYSTEM OVERLOAD: How new data centres could throw Europe’s energy transition off course
[4] https://ember-energy.org/data/electricity-data-explorer/
[5] Civil society joint statement “Within Bounds: Limiting AI’s environmental impact”, February 2025.
ABOUT:
Beyond Fossil Fuels is a collective civil society campaign committed to ensuring all of Europe’s electricity is generated from fossil-free, renewable energy by 2035. It expands and builds upon the Europe Beyond Coal campaign, and its goal of a coal-free Europe in power and heat by 2030 at the latest. www.beyondfossilfuels.org