Who Profits from Progress?

Environmental Justice & Community Development from Coal Mines to AI Data Centers

The powers that be would have us believe that “democracy is an outmoded software”—a relic to be replaced by opaque systems of extraction, automation, and control. In this public conversation, Majora Carter and Ruha Benjamin examine how environmental injustice persists across technological eras, from the devastation of coal mining to the hidden ecological and social costs of today’s data-driven economy. They explore how data mining, energy-hungry AI infrastructures, and so-called “smart” technologies often reproduce the same patterns of harm, displacement, and disposability that have long defined extractive industries.