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Water is a finite resource, you need electricity too. Carbon emissions from the build. While I'm sure it will green DC but doesn't solve the fact your destroying natural land for nothing other than a building with servers in it.
If Amazon were to build a 400 acre DC and then contribute 800 acres of land as replacement, no problem. But 400 acres of destroyed habitat involving more air pollution, strain on planetary resources for a company which makes billions in profit and doesn't pay back. Where's the positive?
I learned recently about private land conservation: The idea is that you take a piece of undeveloped land you own, and mark is as a conservation area. This prevents development in perpetuity - the status is tied to the land even if you sell it. Enforcement is decently strong - there are lots of nonprofits that actively monitor these lands and report nonviolators.
I don't have the source of the statistic, but one place I read that annually about 2.2 million acres are developed, and 2 million acres are conserved, so it is close to parity.
(Owner gets tax benefits for doing this, but typically they'd earn more if they allow development).
It would’ve cost Amazon peanuts, made legislators look good, and be good for the planet.
The positive is pretty clear- there are still billions of people not connected to the internet. I believe internet access should be a human right as it provides educational and economic opportunities, connects people closer together, among various things.
So, it all seems not so black and white to me.
400 acres is basically nothing compared to the scale of an entire state. It's less than a single square mile. Ohio has more than 40,000 square miles.
It's still something. 400 trees are still better then 1. It's more than you and I will ever own. It's lot of land which could provide so much resource we desperately need. For good rather than evil.
1 acre ~ 4848 trees - That's a lot of trees. 4848 squirrels if each squirrel had a tree each, 4848 birds.
So lets complain about the worlds state while we continue to suck resources for construction with wastage of water for cooling as electricity is funneled via fossil fuels; polluting the air we breath. Killing natural ecosystems from destroyed habitats all while causing climate changes for more for nothing other than what? You tell me. So you can run your fancy JavaScript app?
I refuse to use any operative service Amazon provides. Apart from network connectivity where I'm forced to use against my will; they're just an another evil corporate entity who cares about nothing other than money. Where's the care for their workers?
Or maybe you live in a very small and dense country. Ohio is not a large state, but it is larger than many countries and perhaps larger than yours. Otherwise I cannot fathom your perspective. Whining about 400 acres of development in America is simply absurd.
400 acres of reserved land is and will always be a positive mark than a DC from a company that abuses the planet so someone can pollute the planet and internet with a stupid app.
Keep the insults to yourself, because your no one special yourself. Your less of anyone when you start making accusations. I live in Scotland, which tyvm has far more than 400 acres of land-free for natural use.