Crimini ambientali e criminalità organizzata | Andrea Crosta | TEDxLakeComo

Quick Overview

Andrea Crosta, environmental investigator and founder of Earth League International, details his decade-long work uncovering the vast, interconnected criminal networks involved in wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, drug trade, and money laundering, emphasizing that the real culprits are often corrupt politicians and financiers, not just the street-level poachers, and stresses that hope lies in sustained, courageous action supported by international collaboration.

Key Points: Crosta's investigative work in June 2021 in Mexico exposed a major trafficker involved in illegal trade of ivory, exotic animals (like orangutans, seahorses, pangolins, tigers), illegal lumber, drugs, and gold. The trafficking networks are highly organized, extending across 30 countries, and involve complex operations like money laundering through cash transactions and cryptocurrency. Crosta highlights that the true perpetrators are often corrupt politicians and financiers, not just the poachers, citing the example of a former Mexican official he met who was a key figure in organized crime. His organization, Earth League International (founded 13 years prior in the US), focuses on investigating these major environmental crimes, often working undercover with law enforcement globally. Crosta mentions his involvement in producing the Netflix documentary 'The Ivory Game,' focusing on the illegal ivory trade, and a second documentary, 'Sea of Shadows,' concerning environmental issues. He recounts a harrowing experience in Kenya in 2010 amidst an elephant poaching crisis, which solidified his commitment to fighting organized environmental crime. The most important element for change is hope, which must be accompanied by courageous, sustained action, often involving cooperation with international law enforcement.

Context: Andrea Crosta is an environmental investigator and the founder/director of Earth League International, an organization dedicated to combating environmental crime globally, often operating undercover. The presentation, delivered at TEDxLakeComo, recounts his career experiences since leaving the FBI and CIA, focusing on the scale and complexity of transnational crimes like wildlife trafficking and illegal resource exploitation, and the need for sustained action to combat these issues.