green crime Flashcards
trangressive
looking at the wider definitions of crime such as the harm that the crime causes, not just breaking state laws
anthropocentric
harm to the environment from the perspective of humanity. pollution is a problem because it damages human water supply or causes diseases that are expensive to overcome
ecocentric
harm to any aspect of the environment as harm to all of it. therefore, crimes like animal cruelty or the destruction of habitats are green crimes, regardless of whether or not there is any specific human cost
globalisation links to green crime
because environmental crimes are global crimes and a crime in one geographical location can have knock on effects across the planet
green crime is hard to police because
one act can be done in one geographical location and not be considered a crime but have an effect on another geographical area where the act is a crime. can be difficult to identify who to blame
traditional criminology
- starting point for this approach is the national and international laws and regulations concerning the environment
- situ and emmons: define green crime as ‘an unauthorised act or ommision that violates the law’ . investigates the patterns and causes of law breaking
- wouldn’t consider global warming or acid rain as a crime bc it doesn’t break any laws
trangressive/green criminology
looks more at the harm that certain acts cause in order to determine criminality
- white: green crime is any action that harms the physical environment and or human/non- human animals within it even if no law has been broken
global and manufactured risk
- beck: in today’s society we can now provide adequate resources for all. however, the massive increase in productivity and and the technology that sustains it have created new, ‘manufactured risks’ - dangers that we have never faced before. many of these risks involve harm to the environment and its consequences for humanity, such as global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions
- mozambique in 2010: global warming in russia which triggered the hottest heatwave in a century leading to russia introducing export bans and pushing up the world price of grain
— knock on effect on mozambique: 30% rise in price of bread which sparked extensive rioting and looting of food stores that left at least a dozen dead. mozambiques own harvest has been hit by drought, possibly also the result of global warming
primary green crimes - south
crimes that are the direct result of destruction and degradation of the earths resources e.g air pollution, deforestation, species decline, animal abuse
secondary green crime - south
crimes that result out of the flouting of the rules aimed at preventing or regulating environmental disasters e.g state violence against environmental groups, hazardous waste and organised crimes
walters
twice as many people now die from air pollution-induced breathing problems as 20 years ago
perpetrators of green crime - wolf
individuals
businesses
govts
organised crime in
individuals
have a cumulative effect on their environments, that acts may not have immediate impact but soon add up to have large impacts e.g littering
businesses
environmental crime is a typical type of corporate crime, large corporations are responsible for the majority of the water, air and land population due to waste dumping and health and safety breaches
governments
santana - the military are the biggest international polluter through unexploded bombs and lasting effects of toxic chemicals
organised crime
o/c has a longstanding rship with green crime often in collusion with govt and industry through contracts for wast disposal for example
zemiology
study of harm
Marxist perspective on the enforcement action against green crime
- don’t want to damage profits, frighten away capitalist investors or employment by big businesses
- sutherland argues big transnational companies who commit environmental offences have power and legal resources to either avoid any penalty or avoid being seen as criminal
- Even when there are laws and regulations in place – these still may not be enforced or companies only given fines rather than criminal prosecution.
- E.g Environment Agency says waste crime (dumping rubbish illegally) is often organised, large scale and profitable but in 2011-12 largest fine given was £170,000 and only 17 quite short prison sentences handed out.
- With such minor sanctions, more profitable for a company to pay the fine and carry on breaking laws and regulations the stop harmful activities.
victims of green crime - beck
in an increasingly risky late modernity, environmental crime is actually more democratic - it affects everyone indiscriminately regardless of gender, class, ethnicity
HOWEVER, environmental racism e.g flints water supply, high black wc population
potter - victims of green crime
argues that social divisions are replicated by environmental harms
- green crimes mainly committed by rich and powerful
- least powerful - wc, bme more likely to be victims of green crimes in both developed and developing world
White gives examples of this (environmental racism)
- developing world increasingly becoming the dump site of the developed worlds unwanted waste
- developed world W/C more likely to experience impact of industrial accidents then M/C and at greater risk of pollution.
positive evals of green crime
- by using idea of ‘social harm’, extends research into areas previously ignores
- recognises the growing importance of environmental issues and the need to address the harms and the risks of environmental damage, both to humans and non-human animals
- questions legal activities of powerful institutions through lobbying for changes in international law
