Net zero: the role of consumer behaviour
Achieving net zero is expected to require changes in consumer behaviour and habits. What are the challenges and how can they be overcome?

Environmental crime is generally used to describe any illegal activity that harms the environment. It can also have serious human health and social impacts. This POSTnote outlines the different types of environmental crime and options for tackling them.
Environmental Crime (358 KB , PDF)
The European Commission defines environmental crime as “acts that breach environmental legislation and cause significant harm or risk to the environment and human health”. However, there is no universally agreed definition. It has been linked to other types of serious crime, including the drugs and arms trade, human trafficking, and, according to Interpol, the funding of terrorist organisations. Environmental crimes are often considered a low priority by governments, as effects are generally indirect. Europol has identified two primary categories of environmental crime in Europe:
Environmental crime also incorporates illegal resource extraction – including fishing – pollution, and fraud around sustainability and carbon trading permits. Other crimes may be more significant outside of the EU. UK law on aspects of both of these crimes is derived from transnational treaties that are written into EU law. Wildlife and waste crime are the focus of this POSTnote.
Key points in this POSTnote include:
Acknowledgements
POSTnotes are based on literature reviews and interviews with a range of stakeholders and are externally peer reviewed. POST would like to thank interviewees and peer reviewers for kindly giving up their time during the preparation of this briefing, including:
*Denotes people who acted as external reviewers of the briefing.
Environmental Crime (358 KB , PDF)
Achieving net zero is expected to require changes in consumer behaviour and habits. What are the challenges and how can they be overcome?
New parliamentary research project approved to explore the impacts of birthrate decline
There are significant regional and demographic differences in accessing opportunities, including jobs and education. How can transport improve connectivity?