Environmental Colonialism

 

Environmental colonialism refers to the ways in which colonial practices affected the natural environments of Indigenous peoples. Historian Alfred Crosby argued that colonists succeeded in part because they changed native ecosystems. They introduced foreign goods and invasive species, which made it harder for Indigenous peoples to defend themselves economically and biologically. Recovering from this damage was tough for native populations. Colonial powers worsened the situation by creating a global system that allowed richer countries to take resources from poorer ones, while also destabilizing sustainable native cultures.

 

Scholars sometimes use "environmental colonialism," "ecocolonialism," and "ecological imperialism" interchangeably. "Eco-imperialism" was coined by Paul Driessen to mean forcefully imposing Western environmental views on developing countries. Environmental colonialism is a lens used in world systems theory analysis of colonization (Stoll). Those who study it focus on environmental impact. It had both obvious and unexpected effects on Indigenous peoples and native lands in the short and long term.

 

Rob Nixon explains how Western environmentalists have sometimes unintentionally harmed native ecosystems while trying to fix the original harm from colonialism. Robert H. Nelson provides examples of national park systems in African nations displacing native populations. Teju Cole calls this Western interference the White-Savior Industrial Complex, and says that "caring about Africa" must start with reevaluating American foreign policy, which often directly affects local elections. The case of Nigeria, a major oil supplier to the U.S., shows how both international governmental economic institutions and transnational corporations continue to engage in environmental colonialism.