State Power and Capital in the Climate Crisis: A Theory of Fossil Imperialism

Imperialism has long been used as a category to highlight and theorize the connections between capital accumulation and the exogenous use of state power on its behalf. Against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis, the connections between imperialism and fossil capitalism have recently come under increased scrutiny. Several authors and activists have used the term fossil imperialism to refer to this nexus. Building on their interventions, this chapter theorizes fossil imperialism as a distinct mode of imperial domination. We argue that under fossil capitalism, a central task for imperial states is to ensure and control the flow of cheap fossil energy in the interest of their respective fossil economies. We identify and explore five mechanisms of control by which imperial states facilitate this process: (1) colonization; (2) projection of military power; (3) suppression of anti-extractivist movements; (4) economic warfare; and (5) domination of the global (financial and political) institutions that regulate the trade and distribution of fossil fuels. Finally, we offer some reflections on the possibility of a non-fossil anti-imperialism.