Getting Into Deep Water: Coastal Land Loss and State–Corporate Crime in the Louisiana Bayou

Abstract

Isle de Jean Charles is disappearing into the sea. Taking a critical eye to explanations of coastal land loss that focus on climate change as the primary cause, this article illustrates the nuanced drivers of the harm and the ways in which major stakeholders describe it. This case is analysed within the context of coastal land loss in Southern Louisiana. The analysis pays attention to state, corporate and green-cultural crime elements, based on expert interviews, public documents, archival data and field visits. The findings suggest that the contribution of oil and gas extraction to the harm has been under-interrogated. Economic interests may have discouraged social and political actors from discussing or demanding state and corporate responsibility for coastal land loss.