Green Criminology and its Importance in the 21st Century

This essay discusses the concept of Green Criminology and its significance in the 21st century. It explores the investigation of environmental harms, legislation, and regulation, and the intersection of green criminology with traditional criminal justice. The essay also delves into primary and secondary green crimes, the interdisciplinary nature of green criminology, and the need for stricter regulations to protect the environment.

Green Criminology
and why did it gain
importance in the 21st
Century
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Environmental damage is an ever-present consequence in our globalised society in the
twenty-first century. Over the past two decades, criminologists also made real progress in
conceptual analysis as to how various entities in society, particularly criminal justice systems,
react – or failure to respond – to the damage inflicted on environments and certain human and
non-human elements, standing closely a variety of several other fields from either the natural and
social sciences (Linacre, 2021). Green criminology, an increasingly growing field, is the product
of such research. In the 1990s, the word "green criminology" was coined to describe a critical
and long-term approach to the study of environmental crime. The aim of this essay is to explain
Green Criminology and why it has become so important in the twenty-first century.
MAIN BODY
Green criminal justice is a field of criminology that is concerned with the investigation of all
types of environmental harms and violations in general, as well as the research of environmental
legislation and regulation, industrial environmental crimes, and protection of the environment
out of a criminological viewpoint. The planet we live in is undergoing a rapid societal, economic,
political, and environmental transformation that is almost unfathomable. Both of these
developments have resulted in increased demand for goods and services that the ordinary market
and business services will no longer meet, forcing the illegal economy to step in (Carcach, 2019).
Furthermore, expanded mobility has boosted commerce, tourism, science and cultural
collaboration, and much more. Borders are getting paler and less noticeable. All has sped up to
previously unheard-of levels. However, all of this development has resulted in unparalleled
levels of war, persecution, and crime.
Green criminology has grown in popularity over time, thanks to organizations like the
International Green Criminology Working Group. Green criminology, that contribute to the
environmental threats and offenses, is also intersecting with traditional criminal justice and
criminal law, with sociologists researching the 'greening' of criminology norms and processes in
an attempt to become even more good for the environment, as well as the participation of people
in the criminal justice process (Wang, 2018). While green criminology had first been introduced
as a political economic conceptualizations of environmental injury, criminality, regulation, and
justice, there seem to be many varieties of green criminology to consider.

Green offenses are divided into two categories: primary and secondary. Primary green
crimes are those that cause environmental injury and, by definition, those who cause harm to
citizens as a result of environmental destruction – the country's classic "environmental refugees,"
who face health and other issues as a result of contaminated, harmed, or lost soil, air, or water.
Air pollution violations, deforestation offenses, biodiversity loss crimes, and water
contamination crimes are the four major types of principal of green crimes (INSANITY AND
CRIME, 2020). Green criminology, broadly established, will acknowledge that nations and the
international community are gradually legislating to discourage these forms of damage. When
such law is broken, it leads to green crimes. Green criminologists should investigate those harms
whether or not there is regulation in effect and whether or not criminal or other rules are
currently violated, according to a wider green criminology that follows the traditions of critical
and progressive criminology’s.
Green crime, as secondary or symbiotic green felony, arises from the violation of laws
intended to prevent environmental problems. South and colleagues cite instances of "state
repression against opposing parties," including when the French state attacked the Greenpeace
ship "Rainbow Warrior" to prohibit it from engaging in anti-nuclear activism. Their second
instance is ‘hazardous waste and organized crime,' including when Mafia-style organized crime
outfits assist companies in skirting stringent environmental and hazardous waste disposal rules
by taking payment to remove such pollutants with no issues raised (Laws et al., 2017). Similarly,
we may remember organized crime's role in the global trafficking of wildlife or prohibited
animal parts like elephant tusks or rhino horns. Another kind of symbiotic green crime is
corporate crime, in which bribery is used to get around carbon controls or corruption is used to
stop regulating polluting practices in the first place.
Green criminology began with a foundation in political economic philosophy and research.
Lynch suggested green criminology as an expansion of radical criminology, with its emphasis on
political economic theory and research, in a 1990 paper. In this opinion, it was critical to
investigate the political economic aspects of green criminology in order to comprehend today's
big environmental problems and how they relate to liberalism's economics and politics
(Westerhuis et al., 2019). Lynch and Paul B. Stretesky built on the political approach to
economics in two subsequent papers published in the Critical Criminologist. Piers Beirne's non-
speciesism theory is the second major variant in green criminology. According to Beirne, the

research of nonhuman animal harms is a significant criminological subject that demands
consideration whilst also demonstrating the limitations of existing criminological theorists
regarding homicide, rule, and punishment that is almost entirely focused on humanity. Debates
on animal welfare are also used in this strategy (Spapens et al., 2020). Beirne's commitment to
green criminology has had a huge impact, and there are currently a slew of research focused on
nonhuman animal offenses and animal violence in the green field of criminology. Nonhuman
animal research include those focusing on illicit game trade, hunting, wildlife theft, animal
exploitation, and the international trade in endangered animals, in addition to studies on animal
cruelty. Many of the experiments conducted by green criminologists in this field are analytical or
qualitative. That being said, Ron Clarke and a group of colleagues have looked at observational
studies of illicit animal trading and theft, and this has proven to be a valuable method for
investigating green crimes.
Green criminology is often noted as being interdisciplinary, and as a result, it lacks a distinct
theory or chosen scientific approach. Furthermore, a large majority of the green criminological
literature is qualitative and abstract, with few research proposing a single or unifying hypothesis.
Despite the absence of a single hypothesis in general, some of the methods listed above suggest
theoretical priorities (Bricknell, 2010). The politics economic strategy to green criminology, for
instance, develops theories of green crime, violence, and environmental justice that are
compatible with many current varieties of political economic theory, as previously mentioned.
Beirne's approach to animal welfare models and concerns takes an interdisciplinary approach to
philosophy. Clarke's logical decision models of livestock poaching and exploitation are based on
the criminal behaviour literature's rationality history. To date, these various scientific approaches
to green crime and justice have not been explored as conflicting hypotheses for green
criminology, a condition that exists in orthodox or conventional criminological models of
criminal activity.
There are various laws that have been passed by the government so that they can impose some
restrictions and control over the crime that relates to the environment. But most of the laws came
into practice after the year 1998. These laws came into practice as there was an emergency found
especially in the 21 century era (Carrabine et al., 2009). All the rates of green crimes started to
develop and increase after the 1960 neoliberalism. The term new liberalism awfully is used in
describing the market oriented reforms and various other policies like removal of the price,

regulating financial markets, lowering trade barriers and also reducing the state influence in the
economy especially through privatization and austerity.
It was in 1961 when after the introduction of neoliberalism there was an increase in
trading and industrialization all over the world. Many countries started trading so as to increase
that economic growth. Industrialization and globalization were at its peak and almost all the
countries were participating in trading of goods and services so that they could gain economic
benefits for their respective countries (EPA Victoria, 2020). This practice resulted in an increase
of illegal trading and activities which were forbidden by many of the country's governments.
There are various countries in which killing of animals and using their skins for making clothes
are forbidden for which they started to trade with other countries who do not have such
restrictions. Individuals started to involve themselves in illegal activities so that they can fulfil
the purpose of their business. There are various industries which were established in various
parts of the country which resulted in an increase of the air pollution due to the smoke that comes
out of the factory or industries. This was also one of the reasons that contributed to Green
crimes.
All the policies that relate to the new liberalism globalization and industrialization word made so
that the economic conditions of the countries can be corrected by the government of the
respective countries. But all of these resulted in causing serious damage to the environment
which led to various kinds of changes in the environment (EPA Victoria, 2019). Killing of the
animals resulted in the extinction of the species, industrialization resulted in increasing air
pollution in the environment and also the wastage that was released from the industries was
thrown in the water which also made the water polluted. Also there were many industries which
wanted to be established so they started cutting trees in order to build industry the Desire. This
resulted in the crime of deforestation, which is a green crime.
All these activities of the man and all the society results in an increase in the pollution
that relates to the forestation of the species and water. All these crimes affect the environment
and therefore are popularly termed as green crimes (Nellemann et al., 2016). There are several
legislations which are passed by the government in order to control and protect the environment
so that no more harm can be caused to the environment. Out of many of the laws made by the
government, a few of them are: Environment protection and biodiversity conservation Act 1999,
protection of the sea act 1983, Environment protection Act 1981, fisheries management act 1991,

Ozone protection and synthetic Greenhouse gas management act 1989, hazardous waste act 1989
and many more.
Even though there are various acts which are enacted by the government but still are not
followed wisely by the individual. For this the government has imposed consequences if the
parties do not follow the laws that are mentioned in the environmental act stated above (White,
2009). The consequences include a fine that applies for all the offences relating to the
environment pollution abatement warnings served along with notices to the individual who
contravene any of the provision or law stated under the act and also the governments clean up
notices to the parties who are found to be at fault. The individuals who are involved in
contravention of any of the provisions stated in the above-mentioned Act are liable to pay huge
and heavy amounts of fines as a punishment. This does not only take away the capital won by the
industry but also its impact a lot upon their reputation in the market.
Green criminology is gaining a lot of importance in the 21st century only due to the fact
that all individuals are becoming more and more aware of environmental issues. The activities of
the industries mainly are causing lots of air and water pollution which was noted by the society
and for this very reason the government took initiative to enact laws in this regard. The crime
rate related to the environment was increasing annually by 5-7 %. There are various groups
formed which started to research about the environment and also raises awareness among various
societies and communities at large so that people are aware of the environment and the crime that
are related to it and also so help people in understanding the way the crimes of the environment
are affecting them and the environment as a whole (White et al., 2019). Environment basically
the surrounding in which an individual lives but if such an environment is not suitable for the
individuals to live then it will create problems which also includes health related problems for
the humans and also animals. This needs to be dealt with as soon as possible so that once again
the environment can be made suitable for all the living creatures.

CONCLUSION
It is concluded from the above discussion that the environment plays a very important role in
the world. It is the most important thing an individual must see before performing any activity as
the environment is not only harmful for themselves but also for the society at large. There are
various types of crimes that are increasing due to the activities of individuals. Even though the
activities of the individual being performed by them are carrying out business activities which
involve building Industries construction and others. But all of these are creating pollution in the
environment which is not suitable for the living creature. There are many other activities like
killing animals to use their skin which is also resulting in decline of species. All these are various
different types of crimes that relate to the environment which need to be stopped. Although there
are many consequences for all the crimes stated above, still there is need to develop more
regulations and improvements to the existing laws.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bricknell S (2010) Environmental Crime in Australia. AIC Reports Research and Public Policy
Series 109, Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology.
Carcach C (2019) Crime and Punishment in Australia, 1980-2000. Crime and Justice, 33, 295-
330.
Carrabine E, Iganski P and Lee M et al. (2009) Criminology: A Sociological Introduction. 2nd
ed. London: Routledge.
EPA Victoria (2019), EPA Annual Report 2018-19
EPA Victoria (2020), EPA Annual Report 2019-20
INSANITY AND CRIME (2020) Medical Journal of Australia, 2(1), 32-33.
Laws R, Aust T and Malavazos M (2017) ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION OF THE
UPSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The APPEA
Journal, 42(1), 683.
Linacre A (2021) Wildlife crime in Australia. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences.
Nellemann C, Henriksen R and Kreilhuber A et al. (2016) The Rise of Environmental Crime – A
Growing Threat To Natural Resources Peace, Development And Security. RHIPTO.
Spapens A, White R and Kluin M (2020) Environmental crime and its victims.
Wang S (2018) Environmental Crime and Environmental Criminal Law in the People's Republic
of China. European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, 12(2), 150-
165.
Westerhuis D, Walters R and Wyatt T (2019) Emerging issues in green criminology.
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
White R (2009) Researching Transnational Environmental Harm: Toward an Eco‐Global
Criminology. International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, 33(2),
229-248
White R, Perrone S and Howes L (2019) Crime, Criminality and Criminal Justice. 3rd ed.
Melbourne: Oxford University Press