Green Criminology and Environmental Crimes and Harms

The focus of criminology on crimes and harms committed by and against humans has broadened over time. Only since the 1990s, however, has the discipline recognized the significance of crimes and harms concerning the environment and nonhuman animals. A variety of approaches and bodies of work now contribute to what can be described as “green criminology.” This article summarizes research on types of environmental crime and harm, as well as different eco-philosophical orientations and related justice-based approaches. It concludes with an example illustrating the ways in which these approaches may overlap.