contemporary issues - green crime Flashcards
what 5 points would be used in a green crime 30 marker?
- primary green crime
- secondary green crime
- harm (transgressive approach) - White
- anthropocentric approach (TNCs/states)
- global risk society - Beck
what is primary green crime?
crimes that result directly from the destruction of the environment.
which type of crime are crimes that result directly from the destruction of the environment?
primary green crime
what are four examples of primary green crime?
- air pollution
- deforestation
- water pollution
- animal rights
who commits crimes of air pollution and what is a real life example?
- governments, businesses and consumers - example: Chernobyl nuclear disaster: nuclear accident, occurred due to a breach of protocol during power outage safety test. Safety tests being ignored led to overheating.
who commits crimes of deforestation and what is a real life example?
- the state and those who profit from forest clearing: logging companies and cattle ranchers.
- example: 1960-1990, 1/5 of worlds tropical rainforest destroyed through logging
who commits crimes of species-decline/animal rights and what is a real life example?
- trafficking in animals and animal parts, dog-fighting and badger-baiting
- example: Poachers slice off the faces of live rhinos to steal their horns; helicopters used to shoot elephants for their tusks; factory farmers breed captive tigers to marinate their bones for medicinal wine. 50 species a day become extinct
who commits crimes of water pollution and what is a real life example?
- companies who dump toxic waste, governments who discharge untreated sewage into rivers and seas.
- example: Gulf oil leak- largest marine oil spill in the history. cause of the discharge: explosion on the British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Resulted in 11 deaths and the release of million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf over 87 days (no fish for 7 years)
what is an evaluation of primary green crime?
cultural relativism - beliefs, values and practices should be understood based on that person’s own culture, rather than be judged by the criteria of another
‘whaling in the Faroe Islands: deep rooted in their tradition, has been passed through generations, reinforcing shared culture and social solidarity’
what is secondary green crime?
These crimes grow out of the flouting of rules aimed at preventing environmental disasters
what are two examples of secondary green crime?
- state violence against their opposition
- hazardous waste and organised crime
who commits state violence against their opposition and what is a real life example?
- state commit violent acts against civilians to protect their interests
- example: 10th July 1985, the Rainbow Warrior sinks, the blowing up of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour in New Zealand by the French secret service. Greenpeace were attempting to prevent the French from carrying out nuclear weapons test in the south Pacific.
who commits crimes of hazardous waste and organised crime and what is a real life example?
- toxic waste is very expensive to dispose of safely so businesses may dispose of it illegally.
- example: In Italy ‘eco-mafias’ profit from the illegal waste dumping. Legal disposal of toxic industrial waste is expensive, so businesses may dispose of it using ‘eco-mafias’ who profit from illegal dumping. Western businesses ship their waste for processing in Third World countries where costs are lower and safety standards often non-existent
what is an evaluation of secondary green crime?
marxist - increase in green crimes is not because of globalisation but is the result of capitalism needing to continually adapt in order to increase profits
what is White’s Harm (transgressive approach) explanation of green crime?
Traditional criminology: studying acts that break a well-defined set of laws.
More radical theorists: this approach is out-dated, needs to be widened to study newer issues.
Rob White - criminology should study any action that causes harm either to individuals/the environment regardless of whether or not a law has been broken.
This is important because a considerable amount of harm is done to the environment by actions that do not appear to break any specific law. (deforestation)
how is White’s Harm explanation of green crime transgressive?
believes that we should study behaviour transcending the boundaries that criminology/sociology typically study
(go beyond legal definitions)
what is an evaluation of White’s Harm explanation of green crime?
it’s difficult to define what is a green crime if we do not measure it against acts that break the law; its too wide scope of a definition. what one person defines as a green crime others may not.
what is the anthropocentric approach as an explanation of green crime?
TNCs/nation states may take this approach; they believe humans have a right to dominate nature, putting economic growth before the environment. not seen as green crimes as they make money for capitalist society - humans are more important. road made in amazon rain forest to get to climate summit
what is an evaluation of the anthropocentric approach as an explanation of green crime?
Green criminologists take an ecocentric view (that humans & their environment are interdependent; environmental harm hurts humans also). sees both humans AND the environment as liable to exploitation, particularly by global capitalism.
From the ecocentric view it is possible to see the destruction of green spaces for the building of airports, factories, motorways as GREEN CRIMES as they harm the environment.
what is Beck’s ‘global risk society’ explanation of green crime?
Beck argues that most threats to human wellbeing and the eco-system are now human made rather than natural disasters.
In late modern society, massive increase in productivity creates new, manufactured risks. Risks are increasing on a global scale, so Beck describes late modern society as ‘global risk society’.
For example, we can enjoy fresh fruit all year round yet know this is only because of excessive farming in poorer hotter countries. damages the natural environment but allows the UK to have a healthier diet. creates more ‘risk’ in society today - our behaviour is hastening the destruction of the planet. science, nuclear war, farming animals
what is an evaluation of Beck’s ‘global risk society’ explanation of green crime?
functionalists - poorer countries producing fresh food for the UK is helping society’s economy, ensuring smooth running of society’s infrastructures
