Change for the Better, or More of the Same?

Analysing the Lithium-Ion Battery Market Through a Green Criminological Lens

  • Robyn Lawrence University of Glasgow
Keywords: green criminology, corporate harm, renewable energy, neocolonialism, global supply chains

Abstract


This article analyses the lithium-ion Battery through a green criminological lens. It explores green criminological reasoning, particularly the framework of “ecocide,” in order to frame the renewables market as an area of emergent concern for criminologists. Two case studies are analysed in pursuit of this goal: the case of coltan Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and the case of lithium extraction in the “lithium triangle” nations of Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. This article initially examines the issue of coltan mining through a mainstream criminological lens, before moving to explore the issues from a green criminological perspective. In doing so, the advantages of the green criminological model are highlighted, and it is demonstrated that the contemporary renewables market is an area of criminological interest.

Published
03-Oct-2021