Industrial Overload in Ascension

Having worked on similar issues in St James, I used a color language familiar to community activists to show the existing land use patterns. The goal was to highlight the scale and enormity of the RiverPlex industrial park schemes relative to the residential homes and towns in this area. Other large tracts of land that have been rezoned for heavy industry are highlighted, because even though the residents are already being overwhelmed by industry, it could get even worse. The only meaningful solution to consider here would be a change in policy, to pull back on the aggressive industrial encroachment, and offer some protections and buffers for the residential communities. Each of these megaprojects is banking on carbon-capture and sequestration (CCS) pipelines to make the investment work with lucrative tax credits. CCS technology has never been attempted, in this concentration or at this scale, and there are many real risks to consider: carbon dioxide gas is highly corrosive to steel, there are documented cases of it causing pipeline ruptures. When CO2 leaks, it is odorless, colorless and denser than ambient air, meaning it hugs the ground and displaces oxygen, meaning it can asphyxiate those in harms’ way. For these reasons, it was important to show school locations near these new proposed CCS pipeline routes.