How to investigate, expose and prosecute Environmental Crimes: The School of Conflict & Peace and the BioMaterialities Research Group at the Humboldt University Berlin invites researchers, journalists, legal and environmental experts, and civil society organizations with a focus on environmental crimes and/or technology to apply for the OpenCrime Conference 2024 “Eco Crimes & Technology – Investigating, Exposing and Prosecuting Environmental Crimes” (29 November 2024, 9.30 am – 16.30 pm, Location: Berlin).
International corporations, governments and criminal groups that exploit natural resources and commit environmental crimes are threatening the future of the environment and societies worldwide and are exacerbating the climate crisis. Organized crime groups such as Mexican cartels are increasingly committing environmental crimes like illegal logging, illegal fishing, the dumping of hazardous waste, or wildlife trafficking. Investigating, exposing and prosecuting crimes against the environment and climate is more important than ever before – and is challenging and can be life-threatening, particularly for land defenders, activists or journalists on the frontlines of conflicts.
How can technology help to investigate and expose environmental crimes? What social and legal avenues are available for curbing transnational abuses and environmental crimes? How can civil society organizations, scientists, journalists, tech experts, lawyers and investigators collaborate?
Invitation only. Apply with a short paragraph about your current position, your interest and previous experiences in the topic of the conference: sonja.peteranderl(at)hu-berlin.de
Agenda OpenCrime Conference 2024: Eco Crimes & Technology
29 November 2024, 9.30 am – 16.30 pm
9.30 – 10.00 Check-in & Coffee
10.00 – 11.00 Eco Crimes: How Organized Crime Groups are Expanding their Reach into Environmental Crimes
Speaker: Sonja Peteranderl, Investigative Journalist & Researcher in Residence “Eco Crimes and the Role of Technology” BioMaterialities Research Group Humboldt University; Founder BuzzingCities Lab/The School of Conflict & Peace
11.00 – 12.00 Tracker, Satellite Images & Drones: How to Investigate Environmental Crimes
Speaker: Jakob Kluchert, Greenpeace Investigative Team
12.00 – 12.30 Idea Lab: Networking and Ideas for Collaboration between different Sectors
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch Break
13.30 – 14.30 Environmental Justice: The Role of Strategic Litigation
Speaker: Dr. Miriam Saage-Maaß, Lawyer and Legal Director European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)
14.30 – 16.00 Lightning Talks
Avocados & Violence: Reporting on Organized Crime in Mexico – Insights from Guerrero
Speaker: Vania Pigeonutt, Investigative Journalist and Co-Founder of the Mexican news platform amapolaperiodismo.com & mataranadie.com, a memorial to murdered and disappeared journalists
Digital Tech in the Food System: The abusive Power of multinational Corporations
Speaker: Dr. Sarah Hackfort, Co-Leader of the Research Group BioMaterialities, Humboldt University Berlin
The Nature of Conflict and Peace: Policy Challenges and Recommendations
Speaker: Raquel Munayer, Consultant Climate Diplomacy and Security Programme, adelphi
Hydrosocial tensions in Colombia: Socio-environmental Conflicts in Violent Contexts
Speaker: Laura Betancur Alarcón, Researcher Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys)
16.00 – 16.30 Networking