A Research Agenda for Environmental Crime and the Law

This Research Agenda identifies emerging priorities and future trends in the field of environmental crime and law, demonstrating how global environmental threats are shaping new academic and legal approaches. It evaluates the current state of scholarship and outlines the evolution of the law, while examining ontological questions about environmental law enforcement.

Chapter authors explore which breaches of environmental law should be criminalized and what types and levels of penalties are optimal for ensuring deterrent effects. Addressing the role of criminal law in environmental protection, they discuss the multi-disciplinarity of the study of environmental crime, shedding light on the criminological and socio-legal contexts in which environmental criminals operate. Leading experts provide insight into key research methodologies and topical themes such as transnational corporate crimes, ecocide, artificial intelligence, biodiversity crime and climate justice.

A Research Agenda for Environmental Crime and the Law is a vital resource for students and academics seeking to understand the state-of-the-art and to push boundaries in criminal law, environmental law, international law and human rights research. Its forward-thinking insights will also greatly benefit policymakers in environmental crime and law enforcement, as well as NGOs and civil society organisations in environmental protection.