Smell the Death, Hear the Cries: Green Victimization and Radical-Green Criminology in the ERA of Global Environmental Collapse

Over the past three decades scientific evidence has accumulated concerning the deleterious impacts humans have on local and global ecosystems (Akimoto, 2003; Ballschmiter and Zell, 1980; Nriagu, 1989; Tanabe, 1983). While much has been written about these issues in the scientific literature, the implications of accelerating global ecological decline is not widely explored in the criminological literature. In general, criminologists fail to conceptualize ecological harms as crimes despite the existence of numerous national and international environmental mechanisms of social control that address ecological harm and destruction.

Criminological neglect of green crimes has also meant a neglect of green victimization. Green victimization is extensive and ubiquitous in the contemporary world, and we suggest, makes green victimization more likely than street crime victimization, a point illustrated below. These green victims are under-represented in the criminological literature, leading to under-estimates of the rates of victimization in society. We also call attention to explaining those forms of green victimization employing political economic theory.3 Our analysis of green victimization proposes a radical approach that employs political economic theory (Part I, IV and V). Parts II and III of our discussion provide evidence of the scope of green victimization in several different forms.