Green Crime Flashcards
1
Q
What is green crime?
A
- Any illegal or harmful activity that damages the environment
- Can be local (e.g., fly-tipping) or global (e.g., illegal CFC trade)
- Includes activities that may not be criminalised but cause harm
2
Q
Give examples of green crime.
A
- Illegal logging and fishing
- Trafficking endangered species
- Dumping toxic waste
- CFC smuggling
- Oil spills (e.g., BP 2010)
3
Q
What did Beck (1992) argue about risk and green crime?
A
- We live in a global risk society
- Modern risks (e.g., climate change) are manufactured by human activity
- Green crimes often have global consequences
4
Q
What is green criminology? (Lynch, 1990)
A
- Focuses on environmental harm regardless of legality
- Goes beyond state definitions of crime
- Interested in harm to people, animals, ecosystems
5
Q
Who expanded on green criminology and how? (White, 2008)
A
- Argued green crime includes all actions that harm the environment or living beings
- Takes a transgressive approach (beyond legal definitions)
- Highlights the need for an ecocentric perspective
6
Q
What are primary green crimes? (South, 2008)
A
- Crimes that directly damage the environment
- Examples: air/water pollution, deforestation, species extinction, animal cruelty
7
Q
What are secondary green crimes? (South, 2008)
A
- Crimes from breaking environmental protection laws
- Examples: illegal toxic waste dumping, state violence against environmentalists
8
Q
What is an anthropocentric view of green crime?
A
- Human-centred view
- Sees environmental harm as an issue when it affects humans
- E.g., pollution is bad because it causes human disease
9
Q
What is an ecocentric view of green crime?
A
- Environment-centred view
- Any harm to the environment is wrong, even without direct human consequences
- Includes animal cruelty, habitat destruction
10
Q
How does globalisation link to green crime?
A
- Environmental crimes can affect areas far from their source
- Hard to trace accountability
- Multinational companies can relocate to weaker-regulated countries
11
Q
Why is green crime hard to police?
A
- Varying legal definitions between countries
- Crimes may cross borders
- Many harmful actions aren’t legally criminalised
12
Q
What is transgressive criminology?
A
- Focuses on harm rather than legal definitions
- White (2008): green crime = any harm to humans, animals, or the environment
- Goes beyond state-centric definitions
13
Q
What is traditional criminology’s view of green crime?
A
- Situ and Emmons (2000): ‘unauthorised act or omission that violates the law’
- Only focuses on legal definitions
- Ignores legal but harmful practices (e.g., carbon emissions)
14
Q
What did Santana (2002) argue about governments and pollution?
A
- The military is the largest institutional polluter
- Examples: unexploded bombs, toxic chemical residue
15
Q
Who are the main victims of green crime? (Wolf)
A
- Poor and ethnic minorities
- Developing world more vulnerable
- Lack of resources to move or protest
16
Q
Who are the main perpetrators of green crime? (Wolf)
A
- Individuals (e.g., littering)
- Corporations (e.g., industrial waste dumping)
- Governments (e.g., military pollution)
- Organised crime groups (e.g., waste disposal collusion)
17
Q
What is state-corporate crime in the context of green crime?
A
- When states and corporations collaborate or neglect to prevent environmental harm
- Example: cover-up of oil spills, allowing deforestation for profit
18
Q
How does organised crime link to green crime?
A
- Mafia and cartels in illegal waste disposal
- Often operate with government collusion
- Example: eco-mafia in Italy
19
Q
Give an example of state violence against environmental groups.
A
- Attacks on indigenous activists in the Amazon
- Imprisonment or assassination of environmental defenders
- Example: police violence during pipeline protests
20
Q
How does environmental harm differ from traditional crime in scope?
A
- Impacts are long-term and global
- Victims often indirect or in future generations
- Not always visible or immediate
21
Q
What are manufactured risks? (Beck)
A
- Human-made risks from industrial and technological development
- Examples: global warming, radioactive contamination
- Often beyond individual control
22
Q
What is environmental discrimination?
A
- Poor communities more exposed to environmental harm
- Toxic waste sites near marginalised populations
- Lack of political power to resist pollution
23
Q
What are the financial impacts of green crime?
A
- World Bank (2004): illegal logging = $10-15 billion in lost revenue
- Cost of cleaning oil spills, restoring ecosystems
- Economic disruption from climate change
24
Q
What is the link between green crime and corporate crime?
A
- Green crime is a typical form of corporate crime
- Corporations cut corners to increase profit
- Examples: falsifying emissions data, unsafe waste disposal
25
How does fly-tipping exemplify green crime?
- Illegal dumping of waste
- Often done by individuals or small companies
- Can damage ecosystems, pollute water supplies
26
What are CFCs and why are they a green crime concern?
- Chlorofluorocarbons, used in refrigeration
- Banned in many countries
- Deplete ozone layer – serious environmental harm
27
Why is defining green crime controversial?
- No universally accepted definition
- Depends on legal vs. moral frameworks
- Different views: legalistic, environmental, social justice
28
How is green crime studied methodologically?
- Often through case studies
- Difficult to get reliable data
- Long-term impacts make measurement difficult
29
What is the significance of species decline as a green crime?
- Disrupts ecosystems
- Often caused by habitat destruction, poaching
- Can lead to food chain collapses
30
What role do international organisations play in preventing green crime?
- UN, INTERPOL track illegal trafficking of animals, toxic waste
- International treaties (e.g., CITES) to protect species
- Often limited by national interests
31
What are the strengths of green criminology?
- Focus on real harm, not just legal definitions
- Highlights environmental justice
- Links sociology to global ecological issues
32
What are criticisms of green criminology?
- Too broad – includes non-criminal acts
- Difficult to measure impact and intent
- Lacks clear boundaries, more value-laden
