Green Crime

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING Traffickers. Hit men. Outlaws. Thieves . . . Our planet is a crime scene - but can we catch the killers? Enter a world where people are murdered, ecosystems are destroyed, organised criminals terrorise communities and corporate gangsters operate outside the law. And, closely following their every move, are teams of secret agents, vigilantes and scientists who are fighting for our planet's future. Using insider sources and her expertise as a criminal psychologist, Julia Shaw takes us deep into some of the worst environmental crimes of our time. She reconstructs the minds of the perpetrators in cases like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Dieselgate emissions scandal and the Shuidong wildlife crime syndicate. From the Amazon forest to South African gold mines, she follows the impact of green crimes right to our doorsteps and meticulously profiles the work of the heroes bringing these criminals to justice. Shaw asks: how do the Earth's killers think? What makes their crimes so deadly? And how can we stop them from stealing our future? Green Crime is the most far-reaching murder mystery ever told.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR CONSERVATION WRITING Traffickers. Hit men. Outlaws. Thieves . . . Our planet is a crime scene - but can we catch the killers? Enter a world where people are murdered, ecosystems are destroyed, organised criminals terrorise communities and corporate gangsters operate outside the law. And, closely following their every move, are teams of secret agents, vigilantes and scientists who are fighting for our planet's future. Using insider sources and her expertise as a criminal psychologist, Julia Shaw takes us deep into some of the worst environmental crimes of our time. She reconstructs the minds of the perpetrators in cases like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Dieselgate emissions scandal and the Shuidong wildlife crime syndicate. From the Amazon forest to South African gold mines, she follows the impact of green crimes right to our doorsteps and meticulously profiles the work of the heroes bringing these criminals to justice. Shaw asks: how do the Earth's killers think? What makes their crimes so deadly? And how can we stop them from stealing our future? Green Crime is the most far-reaching murder mystery ever told.

A popular BBC presenter and podcaster looks at six world-changing environmental crimes and takes readers inside the minds of the people responsible. Our planet is a crime scene. People are murdered, ecosystems are destroyed, and corruption is rampant. In Green Crime , criminal psychologist Dr. Julia Shaw takes us inside six world-changing environmental crimes and reveals how the perpetrators think, why their crimes are so deadly, and how we can stop them from damaging our planet and our future. Julia Shaw attempts to make sense of some of the worst environmental crimes of our recent past by considering them through the lens of criminal psychology: these are not just natural disasters or random acts of destruction, these are illegal acts which follow familiar criminal behavior patterns. With that understanding, we are able to make sense of these ecocides and strategize ways to prevent them. As a criminal psychologist, Dr. Shaw explores "six pillars" of criminal behavior, which can be applied in the case studies presented. These are: Ease, Impunity, Greed, Rationalization, Conformity, and Desperation. Using these pillars as guidelines, along with in-depth research and interviews with involved parties, Dr. Shaw takes us through six recent examples of large-scale environmental destruction caused by human criminal behavior. Part history book, part true crime thriller, her writing weaves in the complex backgrounds and criminal choices that make conditions ripe for these kinds of crimes to occur, in an attempt to understand what we can do to prevent them in the future. Crimes covered are: "Dieselgate" the Volkswagen emissions scandal The murder of Brazilian rainforest activists Z? Cl?udio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife, Maria Illegal poaching for ivory by the Shuidong Syndicate The world's longest ship chase, tracking down illegal fishing ship Thunder Operation Vala Umgodi ('Close the Hole') fighting illegal mining in South Africa The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico

A popular BBC presenter and podcaster looks at six world-changing environmental crimes and takes readers inside the minds of the people responsible. Our planet is a crime scene. People are murdered, ecosystems are destroyed, and corruption is rampant. In Green Crime , criminal psychologist Dr. Julia Shaw takes us inside six world-changing environmental crimes and reveals how the perpetrators think, why their crimes are so deadly, and how we can stop them from damaging our planet and our future. Julia Shaw attempts to make sense of some of the worst environmental crimes of our recent past by considering them through the lens of criminal psychology: these are not just natural disasters or random acts of destruction, these are illegal acts which follow familiar criminal behavior patterns. With that understanding, we are able to make sense of these ecocides and strategize ways to prevent them. As a criminal psychologist, Dr. Shaw explores "six pillars" of criminal behavior, which can be applied in the case studies presented. These are: Ease, Impunity, Greed, Rationalization, Conformity, and Desperation. Using these pillars as guidelines, along with in-depth research and interviews with involved parties, Dr. Shaw takes us through six recent examples of large-scale environmental destruction caused by human criminal behavior. Part history book, part true crime thriller, her writing weaves in the complex backgrounds and criminal choices that make conditions ripe for these kinds of crimes to occur, in an attempt to understand what we can do to prevent them in the future. Crimes covered are: "Dieselgate" the Volkswagen emissions scandal The murder of Brazilian rainforest activists Z? Cl?udio Ribeiro da Silva and his wife, Maria Illegal poaching for ivory by the Shuidong Syndicate The world's longest ship chase, tracking down illegal fishing ship Thunder Operation Vala Umgodi ('Close the Hole') fighting illegal mining in South Africa The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and spill in the Gulf of Mexico