Green crime and victimization: Tensions between social and environmental justice

In 2011, Rio-Tinto Alcan, one of the world’s largest producers of aluminium, announced the closure of the smelter at Lynemouth, Northumberland, North East England. The plant, a major local employer, finally closed in March, 2013. This article examines global concerns about environmental emission standards and the costs of compliance. This plants closure is a success in green terms. However, where closure is officially considered a compliance option, costs to deprived communities are high. From a (green) victimological perspective, the article contemplates the hidden costs of closure on already deprived local and regional communities. The discussion focuses on how green crime and green compliance creates victimisation and reflects on the moral and ethical challenges this presents for a green criminology.