Green crime

• definitions of green crime

  -traditional green crime

  -global risk

  -transgressive green crime
• traditional green crime


  -Situ & Emmons (2000): define environmental crime as an unauthorised act/omission that goes against the law
• global risk


  -Beck: environmental crimes are the result of manufactured risks. We have created new risks through technology & manufacturing (globalisation)
• transgressive green crime


  -applies zemiology

  -White (2008): any act that harms the environment is a green crime

  -breaks into eco-centric & anthropocentric

  
  

  -eco-centric: damage to the environment is damage to other species & puts the human race at risk

  
  

  -anthropocentric: humans have the right to exploit the environment & other species for their own benefit
• types of Green Crime (South - 2008)


  -primary green crime

  
  

  -secondary green crime
• primary green crime


  -direct result of the destruction of the planets resources e.g., animal abuse; air pollution; water pollution

  
  

  -example: war of drugs in Andes caused damage to crops & contaminated water due to the use of pesticides to get rid of the drugs

  
  

  -another example: deforestation in the Amazon
• secondary green crime


  -crimes that are the result of flouting existing laws & regulations. Green crimes go against environmental groups e.g., hazardous water disposal, environmental discrimination

  
  

  -example: eco mafias - profit from illegal dumping of toxic waste
• Perpetrators of green crime - Wolf

  4 types of perpetrators

  
  

  -individual: this is a cumulative effect, individuals contribute to green crime e.g., littering

  
  

  -private businesses: corporate crime e.g., Ford having high emissions but manipulated the results to make it look like they did not. Did this in 2019 & were caught.

  
  

  -states & governments: the military are the biggest institutional polluters e.g., bombing. Another example: Rainbow Warrior - boat was bombed by France. Also a secondary green crime as the acts indirectly damaged the environment.

  
  

  -organised crime: in collusion with governments & industry for contracts to do with disposal e.g., eco mafias. Another example: triangle of death - dumping of waste had caused people to have more allergies in the area and has been linked to cancer, crops were grown on top of toxic waste
• Victims of green crime - Potter

  -the current social divisions are reinforced by environmental harm

  -India flooding 2022: extreme flooding in India which led to death, caused by global warming which is linked to green crime committed by corporations. Secondary green crime. Also due to deforestation. Over 100 people died.
• green crime & globalisation

  Green crime is a global crime

  -reason one: this is as the planet is a single ecosystem

  -reason two: green crime is committed by transnational corporations - can commit these crimes due to links

  -example: chernobyl
• policing green crime


  -very few local/international laws - green crimes are mostly committed by states who can change the laws

  
  

  -hard to construct international law due to the different definitions of green crime

  
  

  -laws that exist are shaped by the powerful capitalists & their interests
• AO3


  -hard to study green crime as there is no agreed definition - green crime can be accompanied by greater value judgements

  
  

  -difficult to assess the impact of green crime as it can be a long-term impact that we cannot see currently

  
  

  -most of the research is based on case studies so it lacks generalisability