Topic 9: GREEN CRIMINOLOGY AND THE CITY

Question 1

Define green criminology

Answer 1

The study of environmental harms, laws, and regulation systems designed to manage and protect environments and species

Question 2

What are the key features of green criminology?

Answer 2

• Reflects concerns about environmental degradation
• Moves beyond strict legal definitions, extends notions of harm to non-humans
• Has a radical/critical focus on powerful actors
• Has a global focus
• Recognizes different types of green crimes

Question 3

What are the three types of green crimes?

Answer 3

• Primary (directly harming the environment)
• Secondary (exploiting conditions from environmental damage)
• Tertiary (crimes by environmental victims)

Question 4

What are the three typologies of green criminology issues?

Answer 4

• Brown issues (pollution)
• Green issues (conservation/biodiversity loss)
• White issues (new technologies)

Question 5

Who are considered green crime offenders?

Answer 5

Economic systems promoting limitless growth, nation states, transnational corporations, organized crime groups, individuals

Question 6

Who are the victims of green crimes?

Answer 6

Humans (disproportionately marginalized groups), future generations, fauna and flora, ecosystems and the earth

Question 7

What are some traditional approaches to responding to green harms/crimes?

Answer 7

Criminal justice approaches (investigation, prosecution, punishment), but issues like under-policing, lenient penalties

Question 8

What are some regulatory/economic approaches?

Answer 8

Formal/informal regulation, market-based instruments, consumer-led approaches, “new environmental governance”

Question 9

What percentage of carbon dioxide emissions do cities contribute?

Answer 9

75%

Question 10

How is urbanization linked to the climate crisis?

Answer 10

Drivers of habitat/biodiversity loss, will require huge amounts of resources to build new cities, climate migration to urban areas

Question 11

How can a green perspective expand the urban criminological imagination?

Answer 11

Highlighting environmental justice issues, new perspectives on organized/corporate crime, applying eco-city models

Question 12

How can urbanization itself be viewed as a “crime of the economy”?

Answer 12

Key driver of uncontrolled capitalist growth associated with exploitation/degradation of earth’s resources

Question 13

What is the concept of “dirty collar crime”?

Answer 13

Involves corruption, circumvention of regulations, and criminal-corporate partnerships in waste disposal

Question 14

What are some principles of eco-city design?

Answer 14

Reorganized integrated spaces, sustainable transport, localized production/governance, social justice, renewable energy

Question 15

How can eco-cities impact green and traditional crimes?

Answer 15

• Reduce environmental harms/injustices
• Increase collective efficacy and informal social control
• Enhance community policing

Question 16

What is the “15 minute city” concept?

Answer 16

Idea that everything can be reached within a 15 minute walk/bike from home, no need for cars

Question 17

What criminological theory is relevant to eco-city crime prevention?

Answer 17

Social disorganization theory - stable communities with social capital reduce crime

Question 18

What environmental theory highlights crime opportunities?

Answer 18

Routine activities theory - motivated offenders, suitable targets, lack of guardians

Question 19

Who raises concerns about corporations and waste crimes?

Answer 19

Ruggiero and South in their work on the waste management industry

Question 20

What example illustrates corporate/organized crime overlap in waste crimes?

Answer 20

The Italian mafia’s involvement in illegal toxic waste dumping, as shown in the film Italy’s Toxic Secret