Journals / Dumlupınar Üniversitesi İİBF Dergisi / 2026 / Sayı: 17

Data Nationalism and Water Stress: The Environmental Justice Dimension of Data Centers in the Era of Deglobalization

VERİ MİLLİYETÇİLİĞİ VE SU BASKISI: KÜRESİZLEŞME ÇAĞINDA VERİ MERKEZLERİNİN ÇEVRESEL ADALET BOYUTU

Asiye Güçyeter(KARABÜK ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0007-6828-466X
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-06-29
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

In this context, the study employs document analysis, a qualitative research method, and concludes that national data policies cannot be designed independently of ecological security concerns.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Data centers, the underlying infrastructure of the digital economy, are physical facilities that result in intensive resource consumption, contrary to popular belief.
📊
Key Findings & Data:In today’s world, where deglobalization trends are gaining momentum, “data nationalism” policies compel every state to establish its own digital infrastructure; this situation paves the way for large-scale data center investments even in geographies with unfavorable climates and water resources.
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Conclusion & Impact:In this context, the study employs document analysis, a qualitative research method, and concludes that national data policies cannot be designed independently of ecological security concerns.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Küresizleşme · Çevresel adalet · Veri merkezleri

Abstract

Data centers, the underlying infrastructure of the digital economy, are physical facilities that result in intensive resource consumption, contrary to popular belief. In today’s world, where deglobalization trends are gaining momentum, “data nationalism” policies compel every state to establish its own digital infrastructure; this situation paves the way for large-scale data center investments even in geographies with unfavorable climates and water resources. This process leads to the depletion of local water sources by technology corporations, endangers the water rights of agricultural communities, and shifts the environmental costs onto rural and disadvantaged groups. Through the lens of Environmental Justice theory, this study analyzes the causal link between local data center operational practices and ecological degradation asserting that data center policies must be evaluated in terms of water security. In this context, the study employs document analysis, a qualitative research method, and concludes that national data policies cannot be designed independently of ecological security concerns.

Özet

Dijital ekonominin taşıyıcı altyapısı olan veri merkezleri yaygın kanının aksine son derece yoğun kaynak tüketimine yol açan fiziksel tesislerdir. Küresizleşme eğilimlerinin ivme kazandığı günümüzde, veri milliyetçiliği politikaları her devleti kendi dijital altyapısını oluşturmaya zorlamakta; bu durum iklimi ve su kaynakları açısından elverişsiz coğrafyalarda büyük ölçekli veri merkezi yatırımlarına zemin hazırlamaktadır. Söz konusu süreç; yerel su kaynaklarının teknoloji şirketleri tarafından tüketilmesine, tarımsal toplulukların su haklarının tehlikeye girmesine, maliyetin kırsal kesim ve dezavantajlı gruplar üzerine yıkılmasına neden olmaktadır. Bu çalışma, küresizleşmenin bir sonucu olan yerel veri merkezi işletim pratikleri ile ekolojik yıkım arasındaki nedensellik bağını Çevresel Adalet kuramı perspektifinde analiz etmekte ve veri merkezi politikalarının su güvenliği açısından değerlendirilmesi gerektiğini ileri sürmektedir. Bu bağlamda çalışmada, nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden doküman incelemesi tekniği esas alınmış ve bu doğrultuda milli veri politikalarının ekolojik güvenlik kaygılarından bağımsız bir biçimde tasarlanamayacağı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

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Cite This Article

Güçyeter, A. (2026). Data Nationalism and Water Stress: The Environmental Justice Dimension of Data Centers in the Era of Deglobalization. Dumlupınar Üniversitesi İİBF Dergisi, Sayı: 17. https://doi.org/10.58627/dpuiibf.1944210

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