Crime And Deviance 7 - Green Crime

Question 1

Types of green crime?

Answer 1

Primary - direct destruction or degradation of planets resources
Secondary - breaking existing laws and regulations, state violence against oppositional groups surrounding green crime

Question 2

Examples of primary green crimes?

Answer 2

Nigel South
Air pollution, 3 billion tons of carbon into atmosphere each year, Volkswagen emission scandal 2015 - governments, businesses and consumers cause the problem
Deforestation, 1960-1990 1/5 of the worlds rainforests were destroyed - logging companies and ranchers
Species decline and animal rights, 50 species a day become extinct 70-90% live near rainforests
Water pollution, threatens 58% of reefs and 34% of fish - businesses and governments dumping sewage and toxic waste in

Question 3

Secondary Green Crime?

Answer 3

Dumping toxic waste led to Chernobyl 1986 and Bhopal 1984
In 1985 Rainbow Warrior (Greenpeace ship) was bombed by the French to stop it from protesting against South Pacific French Nuclear testing

Question 4

Green criminology according to radical criminologist White (2008)?

Answer 4

Countries cannot agree on what constitutes green crime as laws differ everywhere
The laws and enforcement of them are weak and poor
Companies and governments just send their trade/waste to less developed countries where there aren’t as many laws around it

Question 5

White (2008) ways of defining state crime?

Answer 5

Zemiological - deliberate harm to natural environment and creatures + humans in it, even if no law has been broken (this is seen as transgressive)
Anthropocentric - green crimes seen as necessary part of human process, apparently used by China and TNCs

Question 6

Globalisation and green crime?

Answer 6

Beck (2000) many threats to environment are manufactured risks and are because of increased materialism

Question 7

Positives of green criminology?

Answer 7

Recognises growing importance of environmental issues and manufactured risks
Recognises interdependence of humans and environment

Question 8

Criticisms of green criminology?

Answer 8

‘Harm’ is a moral judgement and highly subjective
Often accused of being anti-progressive and anti-capitalist