Green Crime Flashcards
What is the defintion of green crime?
Defined by Rob White as any action that harms the physical environment and any creatures that live within it, even if no law has technically been broken
What are the two main views of green crime according to Rob White?
Eco-centric and Anthropocentric
- Eco-centric focuses on environmental damage affecting all species
- Anthropocentric prioritizes right of humans to the exploitation of the environment.
How is green crime linked to globalization?
Crimes transcend national boundaries and are increasingly global rather than local in nature
According to Beck, environmental issues are often manufactured rather than natural.
What example illustrates the global impact of environmental disasters?
The 1986 Chernobyl incident
It spread radioactive material over thousands of miles, affecting regions far from the source.
What are the two distinct types of green crimes classified by South et al?
Primary and Secondary
Primary crimes inflict direct harm on the environment; secondary crimes arise from flouting environmental regulations.
List the main categories of primary green crimes recognized by South et al.
- Crimes of air pollution
- Crimes of deforestation
- Crimes of species decline and animal rights
- Crimes of water pollution
What is a secondary green crime?
Crime that grows out of the flouting of rules that seek to regulate environmental disasters
Example: State violence against oppositional groups.
What incident involved the French government and the Greenpeace ship ‘Rainbow Warrior’?
The bombing of the ship in 1985
This was a state-sanctioned act to prevent anti-nuclear campaigning.
Who are most likely to face the effects of environmental crime according to Wolf?
Those in the developing world, the poor, and ethnic minorities
They often cannot escape areas where these crimes occur.
What does Wolf state about corporations and environmental crime?
Corporations are responsible for the majority of air, water, and land pollution
This includes illegal dumping and health and safety breaches.
What did Santana identify as a major source of pollution?
The military
Due to unexploded ordnance and shrapnel left in war zones that can have lasting toxic effects
What concept does Beck associate with environmental damage?
‘The risk society’ in which modern industrial societies create new risks largely through manufactured technologies.
Generates small but hugely toxic radioactive forms of waste
How do Beck’s and Marxists’ views differ regarding environmental problems?
Beck argues environmental problems are global, while Marxists believe social divisions reinforce environmental harm
Marxists argue industrial capitalism is the primary cause of environmental crimes.
According to Marxists, what is the main goal of industrial capitalism?
Achieving economic growth through production and consumption
This leads to environmental degradation that victimises the poorest in society
What do green criminologists focus on?
Activities that cause harm, not just those that break current laws
This includes legal activities that significantly damage the environment.
What is a challenge faced by transgressive criminologists?
Difficulty of categorization
Focusing on ‘harm’ could lead to an infinite range of activities being studied.
What problem exists with policing green crime?
Few local or international laws govern the environment
Many green crimes are committed by states themselves.
Why are international environmental laws difficult to construct?
Not all countries agree to global agreements
Different countries have varying laws regarding environmental harm.
What is a criticism regarding the focus of green criminology?
It has difficulty defining clear boundaries of study
This involves making moral or political statements about what should be regarded as wrong.
