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Amazon employees are pushing back against the company’s AI-heavy pivot, accusing leadership of prioritizing AI investments over climate commitments and the human workforce. Thousands have signed an open letter to CEO Andy Jassy and senior leadership. The letter, published last week, has drawn more than 1,000 signatures from Amazon employees — who can sign anonymously while listing their roles — and over 2,000 people outside the company. “We, the undersigned Amazon employees, have serious concerns about this aggressive rollout during the global rise of authoritarianism and our most important years to reverse the climate crisis. We believe that the all-costs-justified, warp-speed approach to AI development will do staggering damage to democracy, to our jobs, and to the earth,” the letter states. “We’re the workers who develop, train, and use AI, so we have a responsibility to intervene.” In the letter, employees accused Amazon of “casting aside its climate goals to build AI,” noting...
Aliko Dangote, the richest Black man in the world, is looking to expand his business into India. In a recent conversation with Business Today’s Riddhima Bhatnagar, Dangote, the Nigerian billionaire industrialist, founder, and president of Dangote Group, explained why India has become a crucial partner in powering the next generation of large-scale projects for his company. Dangote’s Long Bet On India In the interview, Dangote discussed his relationship with India spans two decades, underpinning many of his most significant industrial ventures. “Our dealings with Indian companies actually go back to 2003,” he said, recalling the early expansion of his cement business. That partnership evolved into today’s megaprojects, including his refinery and petrochemical operations. He noted that companies such as Engineers India Ltd. (EIL) have been central to that growth. “We used EIL … and they did a very very great job,” he said. Dangote added that his refinery sourced over $2.5 billion...
Aliko Dangote, the richest Black man in the world, and his conglomerate Dangote Group have partnered with U.S.-based Honeywell International Inc. to expand the Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria. According to Business Insider Africa, the project aims to increase the refinery’s production capacity to 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) by 2028, doubling its current output. The agreement with Honeywell will provide technology and services to allow the refinery to process a wider variety of crude oil grades. Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, will supply catalysts, equipment, and industrial solutions to support the expansion, per Business Insider Africa. In addition to expanding crude processing, the refinery plans to increase its polypropylene production to 2.4 million metric tons per year through a license for Honeywell’s Oleflex technology, according to the outlet. Polypropylene is used in a range of industrial applications, including packaging and automotive components. Honeywell has...
Spelman College has released new data outlining the environmental impact of its campus composting initiative. According to an impact report from Compost Now, the college’s program has diverted 301,649 pounds of food waste since early 2020. The diversion prevented an estimated 784,288 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, similar to the effects of driving 880,5062 miles, and avoided more than 31,000 pounds of methane emissions typically produced when food decomposes in landfills. Compost Now reports that the finished compost has supported 113 garden partners and has the potential to grow the equivalent of more than 226,000 tomatoes. “This initiative demonstrates that with the right partnerships, training, and leadership support, campuses can achieve measurable environmental impact while engaging students and staff in meaningful sustainability action,” Michael Walsh, Spelman’s grounds supervisor, said in a press release. According to the release, the composting initiative is part of the...
Prince George’s County has paused plans for a data center at the former Landover Mall site in Landover, MD, following strong community opposition. On Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, County Executive Aisha Braveboy ordered a temporary halt to all data center permitting. The move came after a public meeting where hundreds protested the proposed development. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Party for Socialism and Liberation – Washington DC (@psldc) Tuesday, Sept. 16, the County Council issued a joint statement announcing a separate resolution to temporarily suspend the review of future data center proposals until the Qualified Data Center Task Force delivers its recommendations. The Council noted that a 2021 law allowed the Landover project to move forward without Council review. However, they emphasized current leadership’s commitment to ensuring greater transparency in future decisions. “The proposed resolution reflects a commitment to ensuring residents have confidence that...
Dr. Dre has invested in a Black-women-owned business increasing food access in Los Angeles, CA. Co-founders Carmen Dianne (CEO) and Kara Still (chief operating officer) are the brains behind Prosperity Market, a farmers market on wheels that supports Black farmers, food producers, and chefs, its website mentions. The Los Angeles Times reports that it was founded in 2020 but launched officially the following year. While Still was a fashion designer, Dianne had experience as a beauty and SFX makeup artist for events, commercials, print, TV, and film. The murder of George Floyd and the onset of COVID-19 brought them together to launch the farmers’ market. “Right after George Floyd was murdered, I wasn’t thinking about makeup anymore… everything shifted so drastically in that instant… all I could think of was ‘we need Black-owned grocery stores.’ I texted Kara so I wouldn’t forget, and then we ended up talking about it a lot on hikes and things like that — until it became a mobile...
Four Black churches in California’s Bay Area are transforming into resilience hubs with EV charging infrastructure. According to Inside Climate News (ICN), the goal of this initiative is to boost financial sustainability and attract investment in underserved communities. Glad Tidings International in Hayward, Twenty-Third Avenue Church in Oakland, The Way Christian Center in Berkeley, and University AME Zion (UAMEZ) in Palo Alto are part of the initiative, led by environmental justice nonprofit Green the Church (GTC) and cleantech firm Gemini Energy Solutions. These resilience hubs will equip churches with clean energy and provide shelter and necessities — including electricity and air conditioning — during disasters like wildfires , power outages, or extreme weather, ICN reports. Gemini Energy Solutions, founded by Anthony Kinslow, Ph.D., leads project management and community outreach. GTC, led by Rev. Ambrose Carroll, mobilizes clergy and works with their in-house “green team.”...
A business incubator curated for founders and technologists just touched down in Fremont, CA, according to Startup Weekly. Rohan Brown is executive director of Innovate Bay, the on-campus incubator at San Francisco Bay University (SFBU). According to information on his LinkedIn, he was appointed to the role in April 2025 and oversees strategic partnerships , program development, and founder support. As head of the incubator, he ensures participants receive the tools, mentorship, and capital to scale their efforts. “This incubator isn’t just for student founders — it’s for the entire Bay Area, with Fremont at the center. The vision is bigger than a university program: It’s about turning cities into true innovation engines by connecting founders, technologists, and partners to real opportunities, resources, and markets,” he said in a LinkedIn post. Innovate Bay offers educational resources to help founders in their early stages navigate topics such as “validating ideas, structuring...
A program is underway to grow the number of Black women in the clean energy sector. Diamond Spratling, founder of Girl + Environment, is a climate and social justice leader who has made tackling environmental issues her life’s work. Much of her work focuses specifically on how environmental injustice disproportionately impacts Black, brown, and Indigenous communities. Spratling herself was impacted by a BioLab explosion while residing in Atlanta. According to The Bitter Southerner, Spratling’s upbringing in industrial Detroit and Southwest Atlanta has familiarized her with how industry, environment, and public health affect the quality of life for people of color. In 2019, she examined environmental policies and recognized that Black women’s participation was lacking, according to Essence. “Why weren’t we in these rooms?” Spratling questioned, per Essence. Girl + Environment That same year, Spratling launched Girl + Environment, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides free resources and...
Robert Golden’s vision has always been to serve others. This vision dawned on Golden during his athletic career at the University of Arizona and in the NFL, he shared in an interview with AFROTECH™. His mission has been shaped by his upbringing in Fresno, CA, an area he described as “one of the most impoverished” and “under-resourced” in the state. The chances of overcoming significant obstacles to achieve wealth can seem slim, and even more so for making it to the NFL, a feat accomplished by only 0.016% of college players, according to AS. That he was able to reach such heights further inspired him to help others do the same. Golden Charter Academy Golden started his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and spent six seasons on its roster before signing a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, according to the Chiefs’ official website. However, soon after he asked to be released from his contract and retired from the NFL. While still in the league, he realized he...
HBCUs are set to play a bigger role in the fight against climate change thanks to a new pilot program that blends funding, training, and hands-on experience. Atlanta-based Southface Institute, in partnership with the Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF), has launched Building Improvement Toolkits (BIT) for Resilient HBCUs, a program designed to strengthen sustainability efforts at five Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. The program, per the outlet, provides a variety of resources to help schools address climate change on campus and in surrounding communities. That includes technical support, $150,000 in grant funding per school, and the creation of student fellowships focused on sustainability. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, each participating HBCU will host 25 paid student fellows who will conduct building audits and recommend ways to conserve energy, water, and waste. The program also incorporates training and...
President Donald Trump has made it clear that his administration will not support new solar or wind energy projects. Posting on his Truth Social account on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, Trump reiterated past criticisms of renewable energy, claiming solar farms take up too much land. “Any State that has built and relied on WINDMILLS and SOLAR for power are seeing RECORD BREAKING INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY COSTS,” Trump wrote. “THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY! We will not approve wind or farmer destroying Solar. The days of stupidity are over in the USA,” he continued. According to CNBC, the president’s comments follow his administration’s move last month under Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to centralize federal permitting for renewable projects — a shift that has raised fears among developers about stalled approvals. Since taking office for a second term in January 2025, Trump has targeted clean energy with policies like the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Signed on July 4, the bill...