Skudder, Helen, Druckman, Angela, Cole, John, McInnes, Alan, Brunton-Smith, I. and Ansaloni, Gian Paolo (2017) Addressing the carbon-crime blind spot : a carbon footprint approach. Journal of Industrial Ecology, 21 (4). pp. 829-843. doi:10.1111/jiec.12457 ISSN 1088-1980.

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Abstract

Governments estimate the social and economic impacts of crime, but its environmental impact is largely unacknowledged. Our study addresses this by estimating the carbon footprint of crime in England and Wales and identifies the largest sources of emissions. By applying environmentally extended input-output analysis–derived carbon emission factors to the monetized costs of crime, we estimate that crime committed in 2011 in England and Wales gave rise to over 4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents. Burglary resulted in the largest proportion of the total footprint (30%), because of the carbon associated with replacing stolen/damaged goods. Emissions arising from criminal justice system services also accounted for a large proportion (21% of all offenses; 49% of police recorded offenses). Focus on these offenses and the carbon efficiency of these services may help reduce the overall emissions that result from crime. However, cutting crime does not automatically result in a net reduction in carbon, given that we need to take account of potential rebound effects. As an example, we consider the impact of reducing domestic burglary by 5%. Calculating this is inherently uncertain given that it depends on assumptions concerning how money would be spent in the absence of crime. We find the most likely rebound effect (our medium estimate) is an increase in emissions of 2%. Despite this uncertainty concerning carbon savings, our study goes some way toward informing policy makers of the scale of the environmental consequences of crime and thus enables it to be taken into account in policy appraisals.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Sociology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Environmental impact analysis -- Great Britain, Crime prevention -- Government policy, Industrial ecology
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Industrial Ecology
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
ISSN:	1088-1980
Official Date:	August 2017
Dates:	Date Event August 2017 Published 17 June 2016 Available 31 May 2016 Accepted
Volume:	21
Number:	4
Page Range:	pp. 829-843
DOI:	10.1111/jiec.12457
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit:	24 October 2016
Date of first compliant Open Access:	24 October 2016
Funder:	Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Great Britain. Home Office
Grant number:	EP/G037612/1 (EPSRC)

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