General Overview

Only 53% of Native Americans living on reservations/tribal lands have access to a computer and high-speed internet

COVID-19 and climate change are crises that force us to more closely examine the technologies we rely upon for the smooth functioning of our society. These technologies can be helpful and beneficial, or even crucial, but they also have massive drawbacks. Technologies such as airplanes, trucks, cars, trains, and ships have both contributed to climate change and facilitated the spread of COVID-19.

Our society has been arranged to encourage the use of fossil fuel-based technologies as well as high levels of consumption of consumer goods; this is especially relevant when we consider global supply chains and the energy required to transport goods and materials. In 2017, world governments spent $5.2 trillion subsidizing fossil fuels while spending a fraction of that amount on cleaner, renewable energy. Amazon, one of the main facilitators of mindless consumption, reported income of $11 billion in 2018 but paid $0 in federal taxes. In fact, due to loopholes in our dysfunctional tax system, Amazon received a federal tax refund of $129 million in 2018.

The climate crisis reveals the necessity for investment in forward-thinking solutions rather than more investment in the outdated and harmful technologies of the past. Under the status quo, fossil fuels are massively subsidized, while clean energy and other alternatives struggle to attract the necessary resources. This crisis also requires us to examine our levels of consumption. The non-renewable rare earth minerals needed to power cleaner technologies often are accessible only through exploitation and harmful practices in their extraction processes. The limited life span of solar panels and the limited availability of rare earth minerals suggest that cleaner technologies cannot simply replace our current unsustainable levels of fossil fuel energy consumption.

Technology and Racial Disparities

Access to timely and accurate information is crucial for surviving pandemics like COVID-19 and for navigating a world rapidly changing due to climate change. The digital divide reminds us that access to technology is a privilege denied to some.

In Philadelphia, home of the internet and media giant Comcast, the broadband penetration rate was 76.1% in 2017, the second lowest among the 25 largest cities. In Philadelphia's suburbs, 88.1% of households had high-speed internet during that period; nationally, 83.5%. As schools go virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital divide will have disproportionate impacts in places like Philadelphia.

The COVID-19 and climate crises are highlighting the fact that race is one of the biggest determinants of whether or not one lives with the negative impacts of industry.

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