Ecocide, Climate Criminals and the Politics of Bushfires

Abstract Throughout the last thirty years bushfires or wildfires have increased globally with devastating impacts on ecosystems, human habitats and greenhouse gas emissions. The recording of unprecedented temperatures coupled warming international oceans, melting polar icecaps from anthropocentric climate change are major contributors to increase global that forecasted worsen unless urgent political intervention reduces state corporate actors enable widespread toxic emissions been referred as ‘climate criminals’ within discourses ecocide green criminology. This article adopts a criminological lens emerging concept ‘ecocide’ examine leaders their mismanagement bushfires. Through detailed interrogation Australia’s Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements it traces Summer events 2019/2020 concludes inaction underpinned by fossil fuel economic priorities were instrumental in creating contexts for preventable environmental catastrophe.