Collective project [1/3]
Activity: Starting collective project (2h)
After being given instructions, each group works on its assignment
Project goal
This project aims to develop your understanding of environmental policy planning in the context of the deployment of digital infrastructures and technologies. Throughout the course of the project, your focus will be on a specific city. First, you will be assigned a data centre to analyse the environmental challenges of its deployment (session 4). Then, you will be given a technology (e.g. smart meters, car-sharing, etc.) that you will need to analyse its direct and indirect environmental consequences (session 10). Each group will present their work during session 12.
Role
You are civil servants being asked to deliver a recommendation for the city council and the mayor. Your analysis will help the city refuse, transform or accept the deployment of a given datacenter.
Session goal
- Assess the environmental challenges (present and future) and transition policies of the city assigned to your group by the teacher.
- Assess the environmental challenges of the implementation of the data centre assigned to your group.
Other steps will be addressed in session 10 and 12.
Step 1 : Environmmental transition of your city
- Make groups of 4 people
- Each group will be assigned a city
- Assess climate and environmental challenges in your city (today (2020) to 2050)
- Write a summary of your findings
Ideas of data to collect
- Water availble
- Water withdrawal/consumption
- Water conservation targets
- Electricity still available
- Electicity mix (current final energy mix, current electricity mix)
- Energy transition targets
- Heat generation technologies
- Land use
- Air pollution
- Biodiversity
- Climate risks in the city (present and future) : droughts, heatwaves, flooding, etc.
Datasource
- Transition plan / Net zero carbon / low carbon roadmap of cities
- Scientific literature (using right keywords in search engine such as Semantic Scholar or equivalent)
- IPCC reports and tools
- External analysis from consultancy groups, NGOs, etc.
- Maps, geographical data, statistics, etc.
Step 2 : Environnemental challenges of your datacenter
- Each group will be assigned a data centre in their city.
- Describe the potential environmental challenges of this data centre (electricity consumption, water issues, gas leaks, heat production, land use, conflicts of use, etc.).
- Assess these challenges in relation to your city's environmental challenges and policy.
- Critically examine the measures taken (or not taken) by the data centre provider.
Ideas of data to collect
- Picture of the the data center using satellite imagery
- Electricity reservation
- Cooling technology
- Water use
- Land use
- Political and fiscal incentive/discouragement
WARNING —> Each data point needs to be sourced (only primary source allowed)
Datasource
- Session 3
- Google Map (sattelite)
- Official communication from the datacenter provider
- Newspaper articles
- External analysis from consultancy groups, NGOs, etc.
- Maps, geographical data, statistics, etc.
Deliverable
Your assessment should take the form of a report (maximum 4 pages). In addition to the text, you are invited to add various media to your summary (maps, graphs, images, etc.).
Deadline : 20th October 2025 5 PM
Evaluation grid
| Criteria | Point |
|---|---|
| The city's most relevant environmental challenges and policies have been identified. | 3 |
| The most relevant environmental challenges facing the data centre have been identified. | 5 |
| A relevant link has been established between the environmental challenges facing the city and the data centre. | 4 |
| The students have engaged in critical analysis of the communications from data centre providers. | 4 |
| The students were able to formalise an informed opinion on the relevance of the infrastructure in the city. | 2 |
| Clarity and structure of the document. | 2 |
| Total | 20 |