Climate change, the digital divide, and economic inequality are often treated as separate problems. Climate and Code shows how closely they are connected, especially in communities that have faced decades of disinvestment, environmental risk, and unequal access to technology.

Drawing on research, lived experience, and work with global communities, the book examines how broadband access, climate resilience, and economic opportunity increasingly shape one another. It examines the lasting effects of redlining, segregation, colonialism, and uneven public investment. Climate and Code shows how those histories continue to shape who can access information, participate in the digital economy, and adapt to a changing climate.

The book also centers the knowledge and experience of communities too often left out of technology and climate policy. Residents, local organizations, emergency managers, public officials, and community leaders help illuminate what resilience looks like on the ground and why solutions designed without local participation frequently fall short.

Rather than treating technology as a cure-all, Climate and Code explores how digital tools, public policy, community ownership, and better investment can work together. It offers a practical vision for closing the digital divide, strengthening climate resilience, and building systems that allow more communities to thrive in an increasingly connected and climate-disrupted world.

This book explores the interconnected challenges of climate change, digital disparity, and economic instability, arguing for a unified approach that redefines our social contract. Through a blend of empirical research, personal insights, and case studies, it highlights how historical divestment, such as redlining and colonialism, continues to shape digital and climate inequalities. The narrative moves beyond diagnosis, offering holistic solutions that leverage technology, policy reform, and community sovereignty to promote a more inclusive and sustainable future.

Monica Sanders is a recognized expert in climate and digital justice. She is also the Founder of Bonne Terre Labs and The Undivide Project, an organization focused on the linked challenges of digital divestment and climate risk in marginalized communities. Ms. Sanders is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law Center, an Affiliated Researcher at The Earth Commons at Georgetown University, and a National Geographic Explorer. Her work and commentary have appeared in international publications, including El Observador, Forbes.com, and MIT Technology Review.