Greenlaundering, Joint Crime Ventures, and Environmental Harm

• In Event: Assessing Environmental Harms: Introducing a New Method and Exploring Recent Empirical Studies in Green Criminology

Abstract

The high value and scarcity of natural resources increasingly attracts criminal entrepreneurs operating in the legal economy. The laundering of natural resources is a prime example where illegally obtained natural resources are converted into legal products on a large scale. To facilitate greenlaundering, crime groups interact with legal actors, such as corporations and state actors, in joint crime ventures. Contemporary developments in environmental crime networks signal the expansion of grey areas of business where the overlaps between conventional and non-conventional criminals are crucial in understanding and dealing with the increasing complexities of environmental crime. Based on an analysis of environmental crime cases, this paper examines the mechanisms and motives behind joint crime ventures involved in the laundering of natural resources and explores the consequent environmental impact.

Author

• Daan van Uhm, Utrecht University, The Netherlands