Google Illegally Felled 250,000 Trees in Finland for AI Data Center, Ordered to Stop
alex_verem · x · 2026-10-25
Google cleared roughly 250,000 trees across 815 acres in Muhos and Otanmäki, Finland, stripping topsoil without the legally required environmental impact assessment to make way for an AI data center.
Key facts:
- Finland's Licensing and Supervision Authority (LVV) ordered Google to halt all environmentally significant work by October 23, with enforcement proceedings and fines under consideration.
- Locals report wolves entering villages and streams turning brown after the forest was removed.
- A petition for stricter data center regulation has gathered 96,400+ signatures, nearly double the threshold to force a parliamentary debate.
- Google's Finland country manager apologized, saying the company acted on its best understanding of the law.
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