Nature Positive Role of the Technology Sector 2025

While the tech sector is ultimately responsible for managing its own nature impacts and dependencies and driving progress towards nature- positive outcomes, it cannot achieve this transition in isolation. A broader ecosystem of stakeholders – including policy-makers, regulators, communities, tech customers, financial institutions and NGOs – can support and accelerate nature-positive action across the sector. By coordinating with these external stakeholders, the sector can more effectively and credibly deliver against ambitious nature commitments. This chapter is written for both companies in the tech sector and these relevant stakeholders. 5.1 Policy-makers, regulators and communities As the tech sector continues to grow rapidly, policy-makers, regulators and local communities each have an important role in aligning growth towards nature-positive outcomes. Policy- makers are responsible for creating frameworks for incentivizing and developing the tech sector, while regulators are responsible for ensuring that development meets established guidelines and standards. Proactive regulatory frameworks are essential, not only to mitigate the sector’s nature impacts and dependencies but also to integrate nature- positive mandates into business operations. However, this process is rarely straightforward. Tension can occur between national or state goals to attract tech investment and local efforts – often driven by community input and resistance – to protect ecosystems, community health and access to natural resources. Recent cases, such as local opposition to data centres in West Virginia, supported by state level legislation,141 and a data centre in Villamayor de Gállego, Spain, supported by regional policy,142 illustrate the challenges of balancing these competing priorities. Across the US, $64 billion of data centre projects have been blocked or delayed over just the last two years because of community opposition.143 Some geographies such as Singapore and Amsterdam lifted moratoriums on data centre construction, but under the condition of high energy-efficiency standards.144 These examples highlight the importance of inclusive decision-making, where policy-makers and regulators work closely with the tech sector and affected communities to ensure that development aligns with local nature values and social and economic priorities, otherwise licence to operate may be at risk for tech companies. In addition to comprehensive policy design, community engagement and transparency are critical to achieving nature-positive outcomes. Ensuring that local communities are informed and empowered to participate in and shape planning processes can prevent nature harm and build public trust. Regulators play a critical role here by enforcing disclosure requirements, facilitating open dialogue and aligning corporate practices with nature commitments. For example, Meta has plans to build its largest data centre to-date in Louisiana. This facility would require additional energy infrastructure to power operations and one proposal to meet this requirement involves building three new gas power plants with a total capacity of 2,260 MW. Government officials have reached out to Meta to open dialogue on the necessary energy infrastructure and the potential GHG emissions that could come from it, along with raising questions on how Meta would account for this new facility with respect to its ongoing climate commitments.145 National and regional planning must account for growing data centre energy and water demand, to ensure there is sufficient supply for both these and other priorities without inordinately raising prices for communities. By institutionalizing accountability and community participation, policy-makers, regulators and local communities can drive the tech sector to become not only more nature friendly, but also more equitable and resilient in the face of growing nature challenges. Across the US, $64 billion of data centre projects have been blocked or delayed over the last two years because of community opposition. Nature Positive: Role of the Technology Sector 52