Who Bears the Weight of the Cloud?

The report argues that Brazil's digital infrastructure development is characterized by a 'narrative of progress' that obscures ecological damage and marginalizes affected communities. Through media analysis, community surveys, and official information requests, the study finds a systematic lack of environmental impact assessments and a significant gap between the government's 'green' rhetoric and the reality of resource consumption. In Rio Grande do Sul, the Scala AI City project is situated in a flood-prone area, while in Ceará, the TikTok-partnered project by Casa dos Ventos faces opposition from the Anacé Indigenous community over land and water rights. The study concludes that the 'burden of the cloud' falls disproportionately on vulnerable populations through a combination of regulatory vacuum and strategic disinformation.

• Mainstream Brazilian media overwhelmingly portrays data centers as drivers of economic growth, with 86.5% of analyzed reports being positive or neutral, while only 11.8% adopted a cautionary tone regarding environmental risks.
• There is a systemic lack of transparency and accountability regarding environmental licensing; requests made under the Access to Information Law (LAI) to municipal and state authorities in Ceará and Rio Grande do Sul revealed an absence of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs).
• The Scala AI City project in Eldorado do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, is located in the Guaíba River Basin, an area that suffered catastrophic flooding in May 2024, yet local legislation (Municipal Law No. 5,949/2024) exempts the municipality from liability for environmental damages.
• The proposed data center project in Pecém, Ceará, led by Casa dos Ventos for TikTok, is projected to have a massive energy demand, with an average consumption of 210 MW daily, exceeding the total consumption of the states of Acre, Amapá, and Roraima combined.
• The Anacé Indigenous community and other civil society groups in Ceará have filed formal complaints to suspend the TikTok data center project, alleging violations of Article 169 of the ILO due to a lack of prior consultation.
• Community surveys indicate a profound information gap: 92% of respondents in affected areas reported receiving no official information from governments or companies, and 90% feel poorly or only partially informed about environmental impacts.
• Public perception of the benefits of data centers is skewed toward job creation, which the report notes is often a misleading narrative as permanent operational roles are limited compared to temporary construction jobs.
• Approximately 30% of surveyed residents have been exposed to the disinformation claim that data centers 'don't pollute' or 'don't cause environmental impact,' which the report classifies as a 'dismissal' tactic under the 5 D Model of Disinformation.
• While the public identifies water consumption and deforestation as primary risks, there is a significant lack of awareness regarding the colossal energy requirements of these facilities, cited by only four respondents.

APA

Gagliardi, M. P., Newell, P., Ata, S., & Coll, M. R. (2025). Who Bears the Weight of the Cloud? Roots. https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/ef4d166840-1762906581/brazil-case-study.docx.pdf

Chicago

Gagliardi, Marilia Papaléo, Phil Newell, Sandra Ata, and María Rosario Coll. Who Bears the Weight of the Cloud? Roots, 2025. https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/ef4d166840-1762906581/brazil-case-study.docx.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gagliardi |first1=Marilia Papaléo |last2=Newell |first2=Phil |last3=Ata |first3=Sandra |last4=Coll |first4=María Rosario |title=Who Bears the Weight of the Cloud? |publisher=Roots |date=November 2025 |url=https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/ef4d166840-1762906581/brazil-case-study.docx.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gagliardi2025who, author = {Gagliardi, Marilia Papaléo and Newell, Phil and Ata, Sandra and Coll, María Rosario}, title = {{Who Bears the Weight of the Cloud?}}, institution = {Roots}, year = {2025}, month = nov, url = {https://poweredbyroots.org/media/pages/highlights/fellowship-for-countering-disinformation/ef4d166840-1762906581/brazil-case-study.docx.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }