Meta-regulating transnational environment crime for better outcomes

Transnational environmental crime (TEC) – which includes crimes such as the illicit taking and trafficking of wildlife and timber, the dumping of toxic and hazardous waste, and the illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances – is a growing and seemingly intractable problem. TEC comprises a complex set of offences and its harms are extensive and serious. The value of all transnational organised environmental crime has been estimated at between US$70–213 billion annually (Nellemann, Henriksen, Raxter, Ash and Mrema, 2014) and increasing. 1 The continuing growth in profits from TEC is an important motivation for its ongoing spread. TEC itself is a hugely important factor in causing environmental destruction, damage to biodiversity and a decline in the well-being of humans and non-humans alike (Nellemann et al., 2014; UNODC, 2016; Saydan, 2017). Strategies aimed at preventing these crimes are therefore sorely needed.