Bikers and Bug-Lovers Join Forces to Fight a New Google Data Center

On Wednesday afternoon, Jamie Robins strolled up to the entrance of Google’s UK headquarters in Kings Cross, London. He brandished a letter containing details of a petition signed by almost 55,000 people, calling for Google to abandon plans to build a large new data center in Thurrock, 15 miles to the east of London.Robins works for wildlife conservation trust Buglife, part of an unlikely alliance of special-interest groups trying to block the Thurrock development. Buglife and local wildlife groups fear for an endangered plant, rare bumblebee, and other invertebrates whose habitat they say will be destroyed. Nonprofit Foxglove says the data center will emit too much pollution. The Thurrock Hammers motorcycle club wants to return to racing on the site.Members of the various groups joined…