Ecomafia

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Ecomafia is an Italian neologism for criminal activities related to organized crime which cause damage to the environment. The term was coined by the Italian environmentalist organization Legambiente in 1994 and has since seen widespread use. [1] In Italy, environmental crime is one of the fastest-growing and most profitable forms of criminal activity. [2] As of 2012, an estimated 30% of Italy's waste is disposed of illegally by organized crime syndicates. [3] The United Nations Environment Programme estimated that criminal organizations earned approximately $20–30 billion USD from environmental crimes. [4] According to a 2024 report by Italian NGO Lagembiente, the entire illegal waste disposal market in Italy was worth €8.8 billion in 2023 and was dominated by more than 300 mafia clans. [5]

Contents

Activities

The primary activities in which the ecomafia is involved are the illegal trafficking and disposal of waste, illegal construction, and the trafficking of exotic animals and stolen art. [1] The Italian ecomafia is closely connected.

In Italy, the term ecomafia is generally used to describe criminal syndicate s which traffic and illegally dispose of industrial, commercial, and radioactive waste. Mafia-related organizations frequently illegally bury waste in southern Italy and build real estate on top of the dumps. Between 2008 and 2010, an estimated 17,000 houses were built on illegal waste dumps. [6]

The 'Ndrangheta and Camorra syndicates are frequently implicated in environmental crimes, particularly the illegal disposal of hazardous waste. [7] In the 21st century, the criminal organizations in Italy have allied with the Chinese mafia, and cooperated with them on enterprises related to environmental crime. [8] Although public perception in Italy attributes most environmental crimes to criminal organizations, corporations in Italy commit environmental crimes more frequently than criminal organizations with mafia ties. Waste disposal is also used as a cover by criminal organizations to conceal the trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, and other illicit activities. [2]

Impact

The unsafe disposal of waste in lakes and grazing land around the Caserta region of Italy has contributed to rising levels of toxins in the dairy and agricultural produce of the region, which forced Italian authorities to declare certain regions off-limits for grazing. [9]

Police operations

In response to the emergence of widespread environmental crimes, the Carabinieri, a police branch of Italy's military, has created a separate branch which specializes in environmental crime. In 2015, environmental police discovered a dump containing industrial waste, medical waste, asbestos, and building materials behind a house in Casal di Principe connected to the Camorra organized crime syndicate. The region of Caserta, where the dump was found, has been associated with the ecomafia since the 1980s when illegal dumping began. [10] The region became known as the "Land of pyres" (terra dei fuochi) because of the common criminal practice of burning toxic waste to dispose of it. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Camorra is an Italian Mafia-type criminal organization and criminal society originating in the region of Campania. It is one of the oldest and largest criminal organizations in Italy, dating to the 18th century. The Camorra's organizational structure is divided into individual groups called "clans". Every capo or "boss" is the head of a clan, in which there may be tens or hundreds of affiliates, depending on the clan's power and structure. The Camorra's main businesses are drug trafficking, racketeering, counterfeiting, and money laundering. It is also not unusual for Camorra clans to infiltrate the politics of their respective areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental crime</span> Illegal act which directly harms the environment

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casalesi clan</span> Criminal organization

The Casalesi clan is a clan within the Camorra, an Italian criminal organization, operating from San Cipriano d'Aversa in the province of Caserta. Formed by Antonio Bardellino, it is a confederation of clans in the Caserta area. The Casalesi clan is believed to be one of the most powerful groups within the Camorra, specialising in construction and keeping a lower profile than clans that focus on drug dealing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naples waste management crisis</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triangle of death (Italy)</span> Area in Campania, Italy, with a large waste dump

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Legambiente is an Italian environmentalist association with roots in the anti-nuclear movement that developed in Italy and throughout the Western world in the second half of the 1970s. Founded in 1980 as part of the ARCI, it later became a stand-alone organisation. Originally known as Lega per l'ambiente, it changed name during the IV National Congress held in Parma in 1992. The mission of the association is to make the environmental culture the centre of a new kind of development and diffused well-being. Important values for the association are the improvement of environmental quality, the fight against all forms of pollution, a wise use of natural resources, the construction of a more balanced relationship between human beings and the nature. It is considered the most widespread environmental organisation in Italy, as it is composed by a national headquarter in Rome, 20 regional branches, about 1,000 local groups and more than 115,000 members.

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References

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  2. 1 2 Spapens, Toine; White, Rob; Uhm, Daan van; Huisman, Wim (2018-05-30). "3: Eco-mafia and environmental crime in Italy". Green Crimes and Dirty Money. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-351-24572-2.
  3. MacDonald, Christine (2012-03-01). "Italy's Eco Mafia". Emagazine.com. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  4. Walters, Reece (2013). "Eco Mafia and Environmental Crime". In Carrington, Kerry; Ball, Matthew; O’Brien, Erin; Tauri, Juan Marcellus (eds.). Crime, Justice and Social Democracy. Critical Criminological Perspectives. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 281–294. doi:10.1057/9781137008695_19. ISBN   978-1-137-00869-5.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  5. "Ecomafia 2024 Le storie e i numeri della criminalità ambientale". Legambiente. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. Carrington, K.; Ball, M.; O'Brien, E.; Tauri, J. (2012-10-17). "19: Eco Mafia and environmental crime". Crime, Justice and Social Democracy: International Perspectives. Springer. ISBN   978-1-137-00869-5.
  7. Antonopoulos, Georgios A. (2016-06-16). Illegal Entrepreneurship, Organized Crime and Social Control: Essays in Honor of Professor Dick Hobbs. Springer. pp. 86–95. ISBN   978-3-319-31608-6.
  8. Madsen, Frank (2009-05-11). Transnational Organized Crime. Routledge. pp. 52–56. ISBN   978-1-134-03924-1.
  9. "Toxic scandal in mozzarella country". the Guardian. 2004-10-13. Retrieved 2020-05-06.
  10. "Toxic waste: An international business which benefits the Eco-Mafia". 10 July 2015.
  11. Spapens, Toine; White, Rob; Huisman, Wim (2016-06-10). Environmental Crime in Transnational Context: Global Issues in Green Enforcement and Criminology. Routledge. p. 274. ISBN   978-1-317-14227-0.

Further reading