GREEN CRIME – What Drives Environmental Criminals and How We Can Stop Them
A psychological deep dive into the world’s most dangerous crimes – by Dr. Julia Shaw
My name is Dr. Julia Shaw – I’m a criminal psychologist, bestselling author, and I study the darkest sides of human behavior.
A few years ago, I came across a category of crime that surpassed everything I had previously encountered.
Crimes so large-scale, so devastating, that I could no longer ignore them:
Environmental crimes.
This was an entire criminal ecosystem I had never seen this clearly before.
And as a psychologist, I had questions.
Who are the people destroying our planet?
- What kind of person commits environmental crime?
- How do they justify their actions?
- And how can we stop them?
These are the questions I tackle in my new book,
GREEN CRIME: What Drives Environmental Criminals and How to Stop Them,
coming out on August 28, 2025, published by Ullstein.
Guilt is not always driven by greed
What I discovered might surprise you:
Greed is not the only motive.
There are six psychological drivers behind most environmental crimes:
- Convenience
- Impunity
- Greed
- Rationalization
- Conformity
- Desperation
These motivations form a complex pattern. They explain why people – often ordinary people, sometimes even well-educated professionals – destroy the environment while still seeing themselves as innocent.
The more I investigated, the more hope I found
Strangely enough, the longer I studied these devastating crimes, the more hopeful I became.
Because I also discovered an entire world of courageous individuals fighting back.
Real-life heroes in the fight against Green Crime
I spoke to British and Chinese undercover agents who infiltrate poaching networks for years, risking their lives to protect endangered species.
I interviewed the captain who led the longest sea chase in history – 110 days through Antarctic ice – to stop illegal fishing operations and convince his crew to go the distance.
I met the man who discovered – at a conference of all places – that Volkswagen had lied to him for years. He went on to expose the Dieselgate scandal.
And that’s just the beginning.
Crime scene: Planet Earth
These are the kinds of stories we need to share with the world.
They’re dramatic, inspiring, and – perhaps most unexpectedly – optimistic.
This is True Crime meets Green Crime.
Together, we investigate the biggest environmental crimes of our time.
And we ask: What can psychology teach us about prevention?