Eight - Criminological responses to climate change

Summary

Introduction

This chapter provides a short conclusion to this book by summarising the main propositions and areas of concern for Climate Change Criminology. The chapter emphasises the role of criminologists as public intellectuals and political activists, and the necessity that there be stewards and guardians of the future. This translates into prioritising research, policy and practice around climate change themes – so that we collectively address the key problem of this age, flowing into the future.

For criminologists, ultimately this means that we need to go beyond parochial viewpoints and those perspectives that frame harm in terms of national or regional interests. Our loyalty has to be to the planet as a whole, rather than being bound by a narrow prescriptive patriotism based on nation.

Indeed, the role of criminology itself is brought into question around these issues. In conventional terms, criminology as a field could end up simply as handmaiden to a repressive state if its proponents uncritically accept narrowly conceived national security and environmental securitisation agendas. This would translate into defence of dirty industries, resource protection internally and externally, and collusion of criminologist against climate change activists (perhaps under the rubric of fighting against ‘eco-terrorism’). The focus of Climate Change Criminology takes us into completely opposite directions.

Constructing the issues

There are a series of systemic contradictions that underpin global warming. The treadmill of production embodies a tension or ‘metabolic rift’ between economy and ecology. Productivist and consumerist ideologies and practices ensure continued economic growth at the expense of ecological limits (Stretesky et al, 2014; Brisman and South, 2014). These limits are now being reached, and global warming is exacerbating the situation.

Existing harms are perpetrated via a series of feedback loops that are, in turn, generated in the first place as politically and economically ‘safe’ responses to climate change. This occurs because ‘non-reformist reforms’ preferred by powerful government and business interests (such as proposals for deep earth repositories for carbon storage) override those that would actually address the key ecological problems underlying climate change (such as keeping the coal in the ground). The result is that not enough is being done to combat global warming.

To be effective, therefore, responses need to address deep-seated inequalities and trends within the treadmill of production that go to the heart of ownership, control and exploitation of resources, and human relationships with nature.