Blurring the Lines: Hybrid Security Responses to the War-Environmental Crime Nexus

This research investigates the complex relationship between war and environmental crime. To do this, it first analyzes war as a driver of environmental crime, by questioning how conflict weakens environmental governance and creates opportunities for illegal exploitation. Within this context, the weaponization of the environment by hostile forces and the exploitation of natural resources under wartime conditions by organized crime groups and terrorists will be analyzed as one dimension of the war-environmental crime nexus. Second, the paper investigates how environmental crime acts as a driver of conflict, exploring how resource scarcity and illegal resource extraction fuel violence and instability. Thus, the paper explores how environmental crime can be both a cause and consequence of conflict.

This study argues that effectively addressing the war-environmental crime nexus necessitates a reorganization of security institutions. This includes developing specialized units to combat environmental crime in conflict zones and integrating environmental considerations into peacebuilding efforts. Significantly, this nexus puts forward the idea of hybrid organizations and suggests blurring police and military roles. The paper asks what are the potential benefits and risks of this approach for tackling the war-environmental crime nexus?

By analyzing the war-environmental crime nexus and proposing mechanisms for intervention, this research offers insights for developing more effective strategies for conflict prevention and sustainable peace. Furthermore, the research bridges the fields of security studies and criminology, contributing to a more holistic understanding of contemporary security challenges.