Anthropogenic development drives species to be endangered: Capitalism and the decline of species

Lynch, Michael, Long, Michael and Stretesky, Paul (2015) Anthropogenic development drives species to be endangered: Capitalism and the decline of species. In: Green harms and crimes: critical criminology in a changing world. Critical Criminological Perspectives . Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 117-146. ISBN 9781137456267

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Abstract

Green criminologists have extensively studied crimes against non-human species. Importantly, a great deal of this research has focused on case studies of poaching and the illegal trade in wildlife. What is missing from that literature is a systematic analysis of structural factors that threaten non-human species. As a result, we use the capitalist treadmill of production literature to provide a systematic analysis of crimes/harms committed against non-human species. We do this through a discussion of capitalism during the current period of Anthropocene extinction. In the case of the United States we illustrate the general state of species endangerment with reviews of the International Union of Conservation of Nature’s “Red List” of threatened species and additional data on species endangerment from the US Wildlife and Fish Service. The data illustrate the extent of the harm that structural factors may cause to non-human animals. We conclude with suggestions for future work on species decline that focuses on structural factors.

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