Green Crime

Question 1

What does Wolf (2011) argue that green crime is also linked to?

Answer 1

Globalisation
e.g. atmospheric pollution from industry in 1 country can turn into acid rain that falls in another (poisoning watercourses + destroying forests)

Question 2

What are criminologists in disagreement with in relation to green crime?

Answer 2

What constitutes a crime
Some argue it what goes against (inter)national laws/ regulations
Other argue that many non-criminal acts = highly destructive + therefore shouldn’t be ignored

Question 3

What do traditional criminologists study?

Answer 3

Studies the patterns + causes of law breaking

Question 4

What do green criminologists study?

Answer 4

Looks at the notion of environmental harm rather than criminal law
Many of the worst environmental harms aren’t illegal, only in some parts of the world
Green criminologists move away from legal definition, take global perspective

Question 5

What is a criticism of green criminology?

Answer 5

By focusing on broader concepts of harm, make it har to define the boundaries of green criminology’s field IOT study clearly

Question 6

What are the 2 types of green crime?

South (2004)

Answer 6

1. Primary green crime: not currently illegal under international law but = considered ‘environmental issues’, directly destroy/ degrade earth’s resources
   e. g air pollution, deforestation
2. Secondary green crime: actions = illegal under (inter)national law, but not enforced
   e. g. water pollution, hazardous waste

Question 7

What does White (2008) define green crime as?

Answer 7

Any action that harms the physical environment +/or human + non-human animals within it, even if no laws have been broken

Question 8

What does beck argue about environmental disasters?

Answer 8

No longer natural, but manufactured

As more countries become industrialised, amount of green crime may spread + global risks of disasters increase

Question 9

Why is White (2008) critical of the way that green crime is enforced?

Answer 9

= rarely enforced + penalties are really low
= still worthwhile for companies to flout them
e.g. max air pollution fine = £20,000

Box. (marxist) argues environmental laws benefit bourgeoisie

Question 10

Give an example of when a private business organisation committing green crimes

Answer 10

Volkswagen emissions scandal 2015

Led to an extra 1 million tons of air pollution per year

Question 11

What is an issue of researching green crime?

Answer 11

Countries have different laws

Means may be difficult to use official statistics to compare between countries

Question 12

What are 5 difficulties of researching green crimes?

Answer 12

1. Countries have different laws (can’t compare with OCS)
2. Different definitions of crime
3. Difficulties of defining harm
4. Difficulties in measuring green crime (corporations committing them have power to conceal activities)
5. Use of case studies (unique events)