Millions of gallons of water needed for new data centres in Chile during 30 year drought

Send us a textMillions of gallons of water needed for new data centres in Chile during 30 year drought Chile looks set to become the data centre capital of Latin America, with the country’s President announcing another 28 proposed developments. But these data centres require vast amounts of electricity to run and huge volumes of water to cool them. With the country experiencing a severe long term drought, predicted to last until 2040, how can building these centres benefit the environment and local communities. Rest of World Latin American reporter Daniela Dib has been investigating these concerns. Concrete alternatives not very eco-friendly New biobased building materials made from fungi and agricultural residues have been hailed as a possible environmentally friendly concrete replacement. However, new research suggests that these alternatives need huge amounts of electricity to produce and have a shorter lifespan than concrete. To discuss these potential issues as well as how to overcome them, the researcher behind the findings, Stefania Akromah of the University of Bristol joins us on the show.  The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell and the studio expert is Peter Guest.  More on this week's stories: U.S tech giants are building dozens of data centers in Chile. Locals are fighting back Potential Environmental Impact of Mycelium Composites on African Communities Support the showEditor: Ania LichtarowiczProduction Manager: Liz Tuohy Recording and audio editing : Lansons | Team Farner For new episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or via this link:https://www.buzzsprout.com/2265960/supporters/newFollow us on all the socials:Join our Facebook groupInstagramTwitter/XIf you like Somewhere on Earth, please rate and review it on Apple PodcastsContact us by email: [email protected] us a voice note: via WhatsApp: +44 7486 329 484Find a Story + Make it News = Change the WorldLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast--6924871/support.Production manager: Liz TuohyEditor: Ania Lichtarowicz  Somewhere on Earth Productions UK Ltd. We’re a UK based production company creating podcasts and branded content that bring stories, places and people into focus. We’re all ex-BBC so the quality of the content is excellent and quality of the sound is amazing.🎥 Learn more about what we do: ➡️ Official Website: https://somewhereonearth.co/ 📩 Contact us or book a project: [email protected] ➡️ Email: [email protected]   📱 Follow us on socials:➡️ Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/soeptech/?hl=en) ➡️ Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/httpssomewhereonearth.co)➡️ LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/somewhere-on-earth-the-global-tech-podcast)    If you like our show please rate and review us.