Advocacy for Future Generations: Professor Clough Marinaro and Green Criminology
Professor Isabella Clough Marinaro seeks to motivate students enrolled in her Green Criminology class to see that advocating for the environment is ultimately about fostering community, peace, and social justice. The course uncovers how unethical political power dynamics and lobbying can cause environmentally destructive activities, such as oil spills, systematic pollution, and illegal trade.
Professor Clough Marinaro’s class focuses on explaining the formal definitions of what is legal and illegal, what reflects international and national power dynamics, and also considers strategies for future deterrence and legal reform. By taking a critical approach to law, Professor Clough Marinaro covers the connection between environmental damage and crime, including the actors involved (i.e., individuals, communities, organized criminal groups, corporations and governments), the health and livelihoods of those who are affected, and the policymakers who should formulate and enforce environmental laws.
Professor Clough Marinaro adopts a global perspective on environmental protection and damage as she presents an overview of international agreements and national legal frameworks, thereby seeking to broaden the students’ perspectives and horizons. Through the discussion of case studies, Professor Clough Marinaro highlights that, historically speaking, the heaviest pollution burden has been shouldered by ethnic and racial minorities and the weakest communities globally.
For example, case studies range from the issue of redlining in the United States, where minority communities residing in historical ‘D-grade’ areas have continued to suffer from chronic health problems, to how communities in Latin American countries are forced to migrate to achieve self-sufficiency as a result of illegal mining. The aim of case studies is to exemplify how environmental damage can give rise to cyclical and intergenerational issues, the loss of culture, and the breakdown of community fabric.
Green Criminology: a “Wake-Up Call”
As the course advances, students are not only capable of conceptualizing the macro-level political and economic forces driving illegal environmental activity, but also able to critically analyze existing legal frameworks, their gaps, and their contradictions. Students also examine the environmental consequences of war and explore how future generations may face the harms of widespread pollution by studying conflicts such as the Second World War, the Vietnam War, the Syrian Civil War, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the war in Gaza. Moreover, students evaluate the factors that contribute to the success of a collective legal or advocacy campaign.
Professor Clough Marinaro believes that this course offers students a “wake-up call,” as it covers a wide range of issues related to the causes, consequences, and responses to environmentally destructive and illegal activities. By providing specific examples, Professor Clough Marinaro highlights how environmental crimes are also interconnected with other types of crimes, namely human trafficking and labor exploitation, sex trafficking, and drug trafficking.
Professor Clough Marinaro shared that, at the end of the semester, students frequently tell her that this course has positively impacted their career prospects, as many of them decide to pursue studies in environmental law, while others incorporate the environment into their line of work. Ultimately, Professor Clough Marinaro’s goal is to foster a deeper understanding of how protecting the environment is essential not only for ecological preservation but for safeguarding human rights. “The change must come from the ground up,” said Professor Clough Marinaro. “As students realize that many things can be done to mitigate and address environmental damage, it becomes clearer that multi-disciplinary scholarship is always useful.”
An Alumna’s Perspective
JCU alumna Eleonora Cammarano shared that this course fundamentally reshaped her understanding of environmental harm by framing it as a matter of justice, power, and accountability. “Before this class, I used to see environmental harm mostly as an ecological or regulatory problem. Now, I see it as connected to politics, economics, and social inequalities where legal structures often enable harmful practices,” she explained. “The interdisciplinary approach, which blends criminology, law, sociology, and environmental studies, provided me with a comprehensive lens to critically analyze environmental crimes and the often-inadequate responses to them. One of the most significant lessons was the range of actors involved in environmental crimes — not just individuals or organized criminal groups, but also corporations and governments.”
Eleonora also said, “The concept of state-corporate environmental crimes exposed how economic and political interests often take precedence over ecological sustainability and human rights. The discussions on international environmental law and enforcement made me realize the gaps and contradictions in legal frameworks, such as the treadmill of environmental law, where regulations struggle to keep up with the ever-evolving methods of environmental exploitation. At the same time, the role of environmental activism and social movements and their importance in litigation showed how grassroots efforts can be powerful drivers of change, even when legal enforcement falls short.”
