The ecocide-genocide nexus: A green criminology perspective

The impact and consequences of environmental crimes and harms on a planetary scale are becoming ever more devastating. Pollution, exploitation of species and destruction of ecosystems and landscapes are literally changing the world as we know it. The scale of ecocide is therefore widening to not only include specific territories but the eco-sphere that sustains life as a whole. Nonetheless, specific communities are affected, at least initially, more than others. Indigenous people are finding their culture and livelihoods directly threatened because of corporate exploitation of natural resources and the destroying of habitat. For many, environmental harms of this nature constitute a form of genocide. This article explores where and how the ecocide-genocide nexus manifests by considering factors such as geography, temporality, social status and the role of the nation-state.