Musk’s ‘Colossus’ Lands in Crosshairs of Environmental Justice Battle
In the previous summer, Elon Musk subtly initiated a remarkable turnaround in a section of a South Memphis, Tennessee, region erected by formerly shackled individuals in 1863, into what he dubbed ‘Colossus’. This phenomenon has been touted as the globes’ most potent supercomputer. The avant-garde AI venture metamorphosed a derelict factory into a dominant 550-acre supercomputer intended to school Grok, Musk’s AI organization’s ‘anti-woke’ chatbot, deliberately programmed to challenge contentious matters.
This community, mostly inhabited by Black people, was struggling with the burden of industrial pollution even before Musk’s arrival. However, he assured the locals of abundant job creation and substantial tax income. In order to meet the substantial power demand, a firm known as xAI positioned around thirty-six gas-powered turbines throughout the site, neglecting conventional environmental scrutiny while emitting harmful nitrogen oxides. Experts and advocates criticized such operations as they worsened pollution rates in areas that already struggled with meeting federal air quality benchmarks.
Memphis experiences high levels of smog, higher than 86% of the major cities in the US, resulting largely from these turbines, making the supercomputer infrastructure the predominant producer of such pollutants in the city. The surrounding community, where the supercomputer is located, suffers from a risk of cancer causation from air contaminants, which is four times higher than the average rate nationwide.
Following prolonged community resistance, led primarily by Memphis Community Against Pollution, their struggle garnered national attention this past Tuesday. The NAACP submitted its declaration to sue xAI under allegations of disregard towards the Clean Air Act. They argue that xAI’s operation sans necessary permits is a blatant exhibition of environmental unfairness, wherein marginalized communities get stuck with the drawbacks of corporate expansion with little to none of the promised benefits.
Latricea Adams, a prominent voice in this fight and the creator of a national Black environmental group – Young, Gifted & Green, iterated how the arrival of Musk’s supercomputer has further deteriorated the health of the Black community that lives in and around the ZIP code – 38109. As per the Environmental Protection Agency, this area is dotted with 19 functioning pollutant-discharging facilities, including a major oil refinery.
Exposure to pollution presents the second-largest threat for premature death, as per the World Health Organization. Adams, from her personal experience, brought attention towards the resulting health issues due to targeted positioning practices. She stressed on the fact that residence in this particular ZIP code has traditionally been associated with negative health consequences.
The neighborhood in question, known as Boxtown, has a life expectancy that trails the average US expectancy by eight years. As per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s PLACES database, around 45% of its inhabitants describe their well-being as ‘poor or fair’, which is threefold the average national rate.
This controversy paints a stark picture of the intersection of Silicon Valley’s fervor for AI development and enduring nationwide battles for environmental justice. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson has been vocal about his apprehensions concerning this apparent inequity from billion-dollar corporations targeting marginalized communities.
xAI, while replying to these allegations, mentioned that the company adheres strictly to the law while constantly being mindful about community requirements and environmental concerns. The company’s approach has elicited diverse responses from various organizations and bodies.
The Southern Environmental Law Center eyes legal action against xAI, indicating the missing permits for the on-site turbines. Conversely, certain local governmental and organizational bodies claim that the first year of turbine usage does not call for any permits.
Notwithstanding the substantial capital injected into the project and used for tax payments, anxieties about the increasing dependencies on pollutive power sources continue to mount, especially as this chase for technological upgrades brings environmental perils in tow.
Across the nation, the persistent trend of delayed shutdowns and planned operations of fossil fuel power plants to cater to escalating energy demand from tech facilities stimulate cause for concern among environment enthusiasts.
Voices from the local community leadership and their representatives underline the severity of the situation and their resolute mindset to oppose possible threats to their community’s overall health and environmental wellbeing.