‘We had wolves coming into the village’: Google’s destruction of a 1,300-acre forest unleashed the wolfpack in Finland

Google's recent expansion in Finland has resulted in the destruction of a 1,300-acre forest, inadvertently unleashing a pack of wolves in nearby villages. The tech giant's data-center expansion in the country has caused an unwanted wildlife change, prompting Finnish authorities to stop preparatory work at both affected sites. Anni Ranta, a resident of Otanmaki, explained that the forest's absence has driven wolves into villages.

Google, operating in Finland since over 15 years, cleared 330 hectares near Muhos and nearly 200 hectares near Otanmaki before the required environmental assessments. The clearings involved 400,000 trees across the two locations, according to The Guardian. Finnish authorities ordered Google to halt preparatory activities at both sites while environmental assessments were completed.

Google has since announced plans to plant trees across 130 hectares at Muhos, covering less than half of the area cleared. The company claims it acted in "good faith" and did not intend to harm the environment. Google's expansion in Finland is part of a €13 billion investment plan, aimed at expanding its data center infrastructure as cloud computing demand grows.

The company emphasizes its commitment to clean energy projects and supporting local biodiversity, education, research, and workforce development. However, data centers are a growing environmental challenge due to their high electricity and water consumption needs.