Backlash hits Google over Finnish tree destruction

Finland has launched a criminal investigation into Google after regulators accused it of illegally cutting down trees to make way for its planned data center. But did you know this isn't the first time Google has done something like this? This recent video shows what's left of a forest in Finland that Google via its subsidiary illegally destroyed. That's according to Finnish regulators which have accused the US tech giants of not waiting for mandatory checks before clearing the land. Google has apologized and said it acted on its understanding of the law at the time. A spokesperson told Al Jazeera that Google has operated in Finland for 15 years and have always worked to meet or exceed zoning, environmental, health and safety requirements. It's very hard to believe they didn't know the protocol. It seems to me that they were searching for loopholes in our laws that would allow construction preparations to begin immediately. Also, I discovered from newspaper articles that they had previously skipped the environmental impact assessment procedure in Hamina. So it's therefore very difficult to believe that they could have misinterpreted the law a second time. Between 2018 to 2019, Google was expanding its data center in the town of Hamina. According to local news reports, it cut down more trees than it said it would and it reportedly involved destroying corridor routes, feeding areas and nesting trees used by flying squirrels. Fast forward to 2026 and it's been revealed that around 250,000 trees were destroyed in 330 hectares of forest in Muhos. On top of that, campaigners say another 150,000 trees were illegally felled. at another site in Ottomäki. People in Ottomäki told The Guardian that because of this destruction, wolves have been pushed out of their hunting ground and are now roaming nearby villages, causing concern for human safety. The two sites are part of Google's $15 billion investment in Finnish AI infrastructure. The whole incident has caused outrage across the country. In the capital, Helsinki, protesters marched to Google offices to demonstrate against the destruction. It feels just... Kind of insane that a massive corporation can come here, illegally log the forest and then receive no sanctions. So I think people are quite outraged. I think it's just kind of like abhorrent that a massive company can all the time break the law when not even Finnish people can go into a forest and log a Christmas tree for themselves without getting in trouble. Like that's not acceptable. The recurring environmental violations by Google in Finland Suggest a tech giant is willing to push boundaries to secure dominance in the race over AI. While countries like the United States are still rolling back environmental laws to win the global AI arms race, Finland's regulatory shutdown is sending another message that you can't always move fast and break things.