Green Crime

Question 1

Primary green crimes

Answer 1

1. Crimes of air pollution
2. Crimes of deforestation
3. Crimes of animal rights
4. Crimes of water pollution

Question 2

Secondary green crimes

Answer 2

1. State violence against opposition
2. Hazardous waste

Question 3

Harm

Answer 3

Traditional criminology has been concerned with studying acts that clearly breaks a well defined set of laws however more radical theorists argue that this approach is outdated. White argues that criminology should study any action that causes harm to either individuals or to the environment regardless of whether a law has been broken or not. A lot of harm is done to the environment which doesn’t break any laws.

Question 4

Evaluation of harm

Answer 4

It is difficult to define what is a green crime if we do not measure it against acts which break the law. It is too wide scope of a definition and what some people see as a crime crime others may not

Question 5

The anthropocentric approach

Answer 5

These groups take a human centred view of environmental harm. Humans have the right to dominate nature and out economic growth before the environment. TNC and nation states may take this approach. Green criminologists take a ecocengric view that humans and the environment are interdependent. These groups see the destruction of nature for capitalist gains as green crime.

Question 6

Evaluation of the anthopocentic approach

Answer 6

Marxists would support this green criminologist explanation for why green crime exists as they argue that the ruling class are purely interested in making profit at the expense of the environment

Question 7

Global risk society

Answer 7

Beck argues that most threats to human wellbeing and the ecosystem are now human made rather than natural disasters. There are new manufactured risks in late modern society or as beck calls it the global risk society. For example, people in the uk can enjoy vegetables all year round due to the excessive farming in hotter countries. This is bad for the environment but also means that people in the uk have a healthy diet

Question 8

Evaluation of global risk society

Answer 8

Functionalists would argue that the poorer countries producing fresh food for uk citizens is helping that societies economy