Towards a Material Ethics of Computing: Addressing the Uneven Environmental Stakes of Digital Infrastructures

Abstract

As concerns around climate change escalate, the need to address the environmental impacts of computing becomes more dire. While urgent action is needed, there is also opportunity to rectify longstanding inequities and injustices present in the relationship between computing and the environment. The aim of this one-day hybrid workshop is to gather researchers and practitioners and develop a material ethics of computing. We frame material ethics as a shared understanding of the relations between material and labor that shape digital infrastructures. Through presentations, discussions, and facilitated activities, we aim to build a research community to understand how computing facilitate sites of environmental damage and degradation, and also spaces for justice, change, and hope.