"Green Humane City": Publish the "experts" with whom Minister Andonovski consulted

The initiative "Green Humane City" has demanded that the Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski and the Ministry publish the names of the so‑called "experts" with whom, according to them, he consulted on the decision to support projects for building data centers, after, as they state, his remarks offended environmental associations and the public in North Macedonia.

"Green Humane City" reacted to the statements Andonovski made at a press conference, pointing out that he, as they put it, "consulted many experts and every single one recommended opening data centers." The initiative adds that the minister called concerned environmental associations and citizens "spreaders of conspiracy theories, who created social hysteria."

UN report and concerns about local capacities

The initiative highlights the latest UN (United Nations) report, according to which data centers consume enormous amounts of electricity and water. "These are key resources which North Macedonia, looking only at the situation in Gostivar, does not have the infrastructural capacity to satisfy," the initiative said.

They also cite the UN prediction that by 2030 data centers will generate around 2.5 million tons of electronic waste, which the organization uses to underscore the far‑reaching environmental costs.

The initiative calls on institutions for transparency so that citizens know "who is to blame for why their water is brown, electricity bills have risen and the quality of life has been further wrecked." "Green Humane City" emphasizes that such decisions must be made by the public on the basis of scientific and statistical facts.

The organization recalls that many more developed countries have introduced moratoria on the construction of data centers because of their devastating consequences and warns against allowing North Macedonia to become a dumping ground for polluting businesses. In its statement "Green Humane City" wrote: "North Macedonia is a beautiful country, our country for which our ancestors fought for centuries against numerous occupiers and literally died for the homeland. Will we now silently allow the neo‑colonialists and their vassals to continue to ravage our homeland, lying to us to our faces that it is for our good, for some so‑called development? NO to data centers! North Macedonia will become a neo‑colonialist dumping ground only over our dead bodies!"

"Green Humane City" again demanded that the Ministry name the experts who, according to Andonovski’s claims, supported the construction of data centers, and concluded that there should be no such facilities in North Macedonia because of their impact on the environment and the population.

Photo: Green Humane City