Water, risk and governance at the Delta: a criminological exploration

The Netherlands is considered an example country for flood risk mitigation and adaptation. A lot depends, however, on the amount of money that can be invested and on how much risk the governance system is willing to assume. When the estimated sea level rise or storm level surge is 1 meter, the Netherlands is likely to construct a levee that can handle three times that. Budgetary restraints in Southern Louisiana are likely to limit that to the minimum. The result of the risk assessment might be the same, but it does not necessarily imply a similar governance decision. The causes of and responsibilities for environmental harm – whether man-made or natural – are therefore a relevant criminological issue as are the differential impacts of (water risk) governance policies.