Green criminology

Question 1

Definition of Green crime

Answer 1

It is a collective term to describe illegal activities harming the environment that involves illegal damage to, trade or theft of natural resources.

Question 2

When did it come about?

Answer 2

1990s Lynch

Question 3

Different sociologists definitions of green crime

Answer 3

The destructive effects of human activities on local and global ecosystems. ( South and Beirne 1998)

Exploitation of natural resources by corporations and states (Hall 2013)

Question 4

What are the two types of green crime? ( South 2008)

Answer 4

Primary: Crimes committed directly against the environment or acts that cause harm to it

Secondary: Further crime that happens from green crime. Eg bribery/organised crime/corporate and white collar crime

Question 5

Examples of green crime that have happened

Answer 5

Bhopal gas leak (1984)

Deep horizon oil spill (2010)

Chernobyl(1986)

Finning of sharks, rhino hunting

Black market trafficking of body parts

Food crimes eg Nestle exploitation of workers destruction of rain forests

Question 6

Two perceptions green of harm (White 2008)

Answer 6

Anthropometric harm: Looking at harm to the environment from perspective of humanity and solely at the harm it does to humanity.

Ecocentric harm: Seeing the harm to any aspect of the environment as harm to it all regardless of if there is any specific human cost.

Question 7

Erin Brockovich

Answer 7

Environmental activist who helped build a case against Pacific gas and electric company in 1993. As they exposed contamination in drinking water that linked to cancer.

Question 8

Environmental racism (UN 1999)

Answer 8

Any government, institutional or industry action or failure to act, that has a negative environmental impact which disproportionality harms - whether intentionally or unintentionally individuals, groups or communities based on colour or race.

Question 9

Rational choice theory

Answer 9

Offenders look at

Anticipated effort, perceived risk and expected rearwards of commiting the crime.

Question 10

Situational crime measures (Clarke 1997)

Answer 10

These are measures put in place to increase risk and effort of committing crimes and decreasing the rewards

Question 11

Evaluating green criminology

Answer 11

Hard to categorise it as it’s looking at activities that cause harm rather than those that are against the law. Meaning there are no limits of what can/should be studied.
Sociologists can’t agree what green criminology is therefore their conclusions won’t be useful to each other.

Question 12

Lynch and streaky 2014

Answer 12

Traditional criminology has been growing increasingly irrelevant in a world that is increasingly being destroyed by green crimes.