Carbon Capture in Alberta: How Corporate-Government Partnerships Undermine Indigenous Land Rights and Climate Justice
Original framing: “‘People’s Rights Are Being Signed Away,’ Claim Albertans Near Proposed Carbon Capture Project” — DeSmog
The project ignores the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), which mandates free, prior, and informed consent for any land-use decisions affecting Indigenous territories. Alberta’s Indigenous communities, such as the Mikisew Cree First Nation, have long opposed carbon capture due to its potential to exacerbate environmental degradation on sacred lands. The lack of consultation reflects a broader pattern of colonial land governance, where Indigenous sovereignty is treated as negotiable rather than non-negotiable. Historical precedents, like the tar sands expansion, show how such projects often lead to long-term ecological and cultural harm without meaningful benefit to local communities.
The Alberta carbon capture project is not merely a technical or economic issue but a symptom of deeper systemic failures: the persistence of colonial land governance, the prioritization of corporate interests over ecological and social equity, and the lack of meaningful consultation with Indigenous and marginalized communities.
Historical patterns, from the fur trade to the tar sands, show how extractive industries have repeatedly exploited Alberta’s resources without addressing the long-term consequences for land, culture, and climate. The project’s framing as a 'climate solution' obscures these realities, while scientific and Indigenous critiques reveal its risks and limitations. To move forward, Alberta must adopt solutions that center Indigenous sovereignty, just transition policies, and global climate justice frameworks—approaches that address the root causes of environmental degradation rather than perpetuating the same extractive logic under a new guise.