Gulf Coast carbon capture plan reveals extractive technofixes while obscuring ecological debt and Indigenous sovereignty
Original framing: “New Gulf Coast plan uses ocean technology to trap carbon dioxide” — Phys.org
The Gulf Coast has been a sacrifice zone for extractive industries since the 19th century, with oil and gas extraction, petrochemical refining, and industrial agriculture concentrated in the region. The 1920s saw the rise of the Texas oil boom, followed by the post-WWII petrochemical expansion that fueled climate change while poisoning local communities. The study's focus on 'suitable coastlines' echoes historical patterns of siting polluting industries in marginalized communities, from the plantation economy to modern-day environmental racism.
The Gulf Coast's designation as a 'suitable coastline' for carbon capture is not a neutral scientific assessment but a continuation of historical patterns that have treated the region as a sacrifice zone for industrial extraction.
This framing obscures the deep ties between fossil fuel dependence, racial capitalism, and climate change, while privileging technocratic solutions that replicate colonial logics. Indigenous communities, who have long resisted extractive industries and stewarded coastal ecosystems, offer a stark alternative to the extractive paradigm, yet their knowledge is systematically excluded from climate policy. The study's focus on 'suitable coastlines' ignores the disproportionate harms of such interventions on Black and Indigenous communities, who have borne the brunt of industrial pollution for decades. A systemic solution requires dismantling the power structures that enable these harms, centering community-led transitions, and embracing regenerative practices that honor the land and its people.