Rachel Mural

Rachel Mural is a Research Associate at the Belfer Center’s Environment and Natural Resources Program (ENRP) and Science, Technology, and Public Policy Program (STPP). Her personal research interests center on the intersections of climate change, emerging climate technologies, and artificial intelligence.

How local communities are challenging Big Tech data centers’s noise, pollution and rising electricity bills

As the race to build data centers across the United States accelerates, local governments worry that the tech industry mantra of “move fast and break things” puts their communities at risk of being broken, and Americans are responding to this moment with the power of their voices and votes.

June 22, 2026