This September, Climate Defenders is hosting the "Unplug AI Week of Action" in New York City. The Week of Action is an effort to confront the tech giants driving the massive build-out of fossil-fueled AI data centers, as well as to convince the politicians to try to slow, if not stop, new data center development and fossil fuel expansion projects. Data centers are raising energy bills, depleting water supplies, polluting communities, and, alarmingly, creating a strong demand for fossil fuels, even coal! And interestingly, many Americans across the political spectrum are coming together to oppose the construction of data centers. See "DETAILS" below.

Tech billionaires want to play god and claim artificial intelligence is the answer to our problems. In reality, they are taking us back to the past, a past where we rely on dirty energy that fuels climate chaos and pollutes our communities. Data centers require a huge amount of energy. To power these data centers, Big Tech and the Trump administration are working with billionaire polluters to build new pipelines, oil wells, and fracked gas power plants.

                                      Image:  A data center and its backup diesel generators
                                      built by the Markley Group loom over a ballpark and 
                                      residential neighborhood in Lowell, Massachusetts; 
                                      June 30, 2026 | Matt O'Brien/AP.     

Therefore, activists are taking to the streets in NYC during "Climate Week 2026" to call out the technology companies driving the massive build-out of fossil-fueled AI data centers, and to get officeholders to support pausing the massive data center development. Action targets include OpenAI, Google, Amazon, Kathy Hochul, and the Gowanus Fracked Gas Plant. Organizers plan for all actions to be nonviolent.      

DETAILS
What: "Unplug AI" Week of Action vs. Big Tech which is driving the huge growth in data centers, and the politicians who can stop it.    
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026 to Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. 
Where: New York City.  
Misc: Sign up for the Week of Action here. Learn more about event by attending an online meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 7pm EDT.