Improving capabilities of law enforcement to counter climate-related challenges

Apie kvietimą

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes: Police Authorities in Europe are equipped with specialised skills and technologies to counter an increase in illegal activities related to the climate change and the emergence of new (opportunistic) criminal patterns; Improved understanding by policymakers of the effects of climate change on law enforcement with a view of developing related effective European policies; improved knowledge of the impacts of climate change phenomena on social dynamics which can raise demands from public authorities to keep public order, moving beyond traditional perspectives about crime and terrorism. Scope: Global climate change is a megatrend expected to affect our societies over the next decade. As stated in “Germany: National interdisciplinary climate risk assessment”[1], “We are already living in the climate crisis. This brings substantial security risks at global and national levels. (...) Anyone thinking about security needs to think about climate as well”. Climate change will affect European law enforcement in various ways [2], [3]. Notably, it is likely to create new opportunities and resources for organised crime, challenging current security frameworks. One of the expected outcomes of climate change will be the emergence of scarcity markets. Links between resource scarcity propelled by climate change and the crime opportunities for organised crime groups need to be further analysed. Criminal networks will aim to dominate the scarcity markets, increasing their role in the distribution of essential goods and services such as food and water. In addition, criminal networks will facilitate the movement of migrants, including women and children, escaping conflict and the effects of climate change; increased flux of migration due to extreme weather conditions may raise opportunities for human trafficking and exploitation. Furthermore, the decline in biodiversity will translate into more animal species under threat of extinction targeted by wildlife traffickers. In this landscape, the adoption of new technologies will bolster criminal organizations of various kinds. Examples of such crimes, illegal activities, threats and harms connected to climate change include: environmental crimes contributing to climate change (illegal mining and extraction, illegal use of underwater sources and streams, illegal deforestation, illegal waste management), wildlife trafficking and poaching, fraud and financial crimes (greenwashing, carbon credit fraud, misuse of climate funds), exploiting climate change-related disasters (water theft, looting after disasters, land grabbing), or social tensions (new forms of radicalisation and terrorism, increased displacement and migration challenging public order and disproportionately affecting groups in a vulnerable situation). New approaches centred around crime and climate change, including crime activities’ association with and…