We are at a critical moment to understand and address the tech industry’s contributions to climate change and environmental destruction. There are thousands of people in the tech industry who understand this: climate-conscious tech workers, who are concerned about the realities of climate change and who see the tech industry’s growing role in it. Yet the tech industry has a long history of managing ecological concerns from employees, regulators, and the public, and has typically embraced forms of environmental labor that prioritize measurement, efficiency, and innovation — a lab mindset. Ultimately, such approaches, from corporate social responsibility to green software, divert the energy of climate-conscious tech workers away from more holistic approaches to climate action. Many activists instead adopt an organizer mindset, using their insider knowledge to advocate for social change rather than technical tweaks..
In Turning the Tide: Climate Action In and Against Tech, Tamara Kneese examines how, in a time of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism, tech workers and larger coalitions have attempted to reform the tech industry from within while applying external forms of pressure through policymaking and activism. Based on 12 months of research alongside climate-conscious tech workers (both inside and outside of companies) this report documents how tech-focused climate work gets done today and highlights its political stakes. It concludes with a series of recommendations for how to help close the gap between corporate sustainability metrics and on-the-ground community resistance.
Related Event
Climate Conscious Tech Workers: Turning the Tide from WithinOn December 11 at 1pm ET, join us online as Tamara Kneese discusses the findings of her report with Amazon Employees for Climate Justice Co-Director Eliza Y. Pan, in a conversation moderated by CalMatters technology reporter Khari Johnson. Learn more and RSVP.