Data & Society Climate-Conscious Tech Workers: Turning the Tide from Within | Databite 162
In this moment of AI ascendance and data center accelerationism, there are thousands of tech workers who are concerned about the realities of climate change and see the tech industry’s growing role in it — and who are actively working to create change, develop better tools, and organize for collective action. In her report "Turning the Tide: Climate Action in and Against Tech," Climate, Technology, and Justice Program Director Tamara Kneese examines the ways these workers have attempted to reform the tech industry from within while applying external forms of pressure through policymaking and activism. By engaging in workplace activism and forming broader coalitions with environmental justice organizations, climate conscious tech workers who adhere to the organizer mindset use their insider knowledge to advocate for social change rather than technical tweaks. What does that look like in practice?