13. Green Criminology
13.1 Introduction
Dr. Gregory Simmons; Dr. Mark Vardy; and Dr. Rochelle Stevenson
🎯 Learning Objectives
- Define green criminology.
- Discuss the core components of green criminology.
- Distinguish between green criminology and environmental criminology.
- Distinguish between the three main ecophilosophies within green criminology.
- Define green victimology.
- Distinguish between the three justice perspectives within green criminology.
- Discuss the connection between green criminology and Indigenous worldviews.
Green criminology is a perspective that challenges taken-for-granted notions of crime and harm in relation to humans, other species, and the natural world. While green criminology’s questioning of traditional criminological assumptions affords the opportunity to examine Indigenous knowledge, ways of knowing, and concepts of justice through an indigenous lens, to date, the field remains largely grounded in a Western worldview. Green criminology as a theory holds the potential to include Indigenous knowledge and understanding of the natural world to steward a just and sustainable future.
In this chapter, we first define green criminology and its core components, and outline how green criminology is distinct from environmental criminology. Next, we discuss the three main ecophilosophies and explore various approaches within green criminology. We then describe environmental victimisation through green criminological perspectives on justice. Throughout the chapter, we provide real-world examples to illustrate the application of green criminological perspectives to current problems, specifically those that impact Indigenous peoples, which demonstrate how these perspectives are interconnected.
