Political ecology of health in the Land of Fires: a hotspot of environmental crimes in the south of Italy

Abstract

Environmental crimes, if they are perceived as victimless, have not received the appropriate governmental response and have been frequently ranked low on the law enforcement priority list, punished with lenient or no administrative sanctions. This has contributed to an underestimation of the immediate consequences of environmental crimes, which can go undetected for lengthy periods. On the contrary, the mismanagement and illegal trafficking of waste in the Land of Fires, an area in the Campania region in the South of Italy, has been experienced as a 'victimful' crime. Using a political ecology of health approach, and integrating qualitative and quantitative methods, we investigate how the perception of being a victim of waste-related environmental crimes has been magnified by evidence of serious disease outcomes. Health concerns have become a central issue in the resurgence of grassroots movements against waste mismanagement in Campania. Keywords: Environmental crime, political ecology of health, waste conflict, Campania RésuméLes crimes contre l'environnement, s'ils sont perçus comme sans victimes, n'ont pas reçu la réponse gouvernementale appropriée et ont souvent été classés parmi les moins prioritaires dans la liste des priorités de l'application de la loi, sanctionnés par des sanctions administratives clémentes. Cela a contribué à une sous-estimation des conséquences immédiates des crimes contre l'environnement, qui peuvent passer inaperçus pendant de longues périodes. Au contraire, la mauvaise gestion et le trafic illicite de déchets dans le Land of Fires, région de la Campanie dans le sud de l'Italie, ont été vécus comme un crime avec «victimes». En utilisant une approche «écologie politique de la santé» et en intégrant des méthodes qualitatives et quantitatives, j'examine comment la perception d'être victime de crimes environnementaux liés aux déchets a été amplifiée par des preuves de graves conséquences pour la santé. Les problèmes de santé sont devenus une question centrale dans la résurgence des mouvements populaires contre la mauvaise gestion des déchets en Campanie. Mots-clés: Crimes environnementaux, écologie politique de la santé, conflits de déchets, Campanie ResumenLos delitos ambientales se perciben a menudo como "crímenes sin víctimas", por lo que durante años no han recibido una respuesta apropiada por parte de los gobiernos ni tampoco han representado una prioridad para el poder judicial, siendo sancionados solo en ocasiones y con multas administrativas. Este enfoque ha contribuido a subestimar las consecuencias inmediatas de los crímenes ambientales, que pueden pasar inadvertidas durante largos periodos de tiempo. En contraste, la mala gestión y el comercio ilegal de residuos en la Tierra de los Fuegos, un área de la región de Campania, al Sur de Italia, se han vivido como "crímenes con victimas." Mediante este estudio, usando un enfoque de ecología política de la salud e integrando métodos cualitativos y cuantitativos, tenemos el objetivo de investigar cómo la contracción de grave...

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