Green crime Learning aims Review globalisation and crime
Green crime Learning aims: • Review globalisation and crime • Review example of green crime – Bhopal – make links to crimes of the powerful • Look at examples of state crime - Cambodia STARTER: What would be the strengths and weaknesses of viewing climate change as a ‘green crime’
Globalisation and crime • Running through the topic of globalisation and crime are three themes: - Power - Interconnectedness - Harm or Zemiology Task: What is zemiology? What are its strengths and weaknesses (p 126)
Green crime is crime against the environment. Much green crime can be linked to globalisation and the increasing interconnectedness of societies.
Everything is NOT awesome
Green criminology • Radical approach starting from the notion of harm rather than criminal law. • White (2208) ‘any action that harms the physical environment and/or human and nonhuman animals within it, even if no law has been broken’ • This is a form of transgressive criminology – outside the borders of traditional criminology
Green criminology • Argue different countries have different laws – may be a crime in one but not the other • By moving away from legalities, can develop a global perspective. • Similar to Marxists crimes of the powerful – capitalist class shape the law and define crime – can exploit. GCs argue nation states and TNCs can do similar
A cheesy love story…
Green crime example http: //action. sumofus. org/a/doritos-palm-oil/
Two views of harm • Anthropocentric – human centered view of environmental harm – humans have the right to dominate nature. Economic growth comes before the environment • Ecocentric – humans and the environment as interdependent – environmental harm = human harm
Types of green crime South et al (2008) 1. Primary crime – resulting directly from the destruction of the Earth, e. g. air pollution, deforestation, species decline and water pollution 2. Secondary crime – breaking of rules that could prevent environmental disasters, e. g. state violence against opposition groups and illegal waste dumping
What do you think is happening/has happened here?
http: //theday. co. uk/briefing/thebhopal-disaster
Bhopal
Green crime The Bhopal Disaster, India 1984
During the early hours of 3 December 1984 the world's worst industrial accident unfolded in the Indian city of Bhopal. Poisonous gas escaped from a chemical plant and killed 3, 800 people, according to official estimates. Other estimates put the number at between 8, 000 and 20, 000. Around 50, 000 suffered permanent disabilities, and more
Lethal chemical The main ingredient of the pesticide made at the plant was a chemical called methyl isocyanate or MIC is one of the most toxic and lethal substances known to humans. Safe storage requires it to be kept cool and isolated from water, which can trigger a violent runaway reaction creating heat and a deadly gas.
Today 120, 000 continue to suffer effects such as cancers, blindness, breathing difficulties, gynecological disorders and birth defects. Heavy metals have been found in the breast milk of women living nearby. 15 years after the accident local groundwater has 6 million times more mercury than normal.
Green criminology review How would you explain the following: Traditional criminology Green criminology an anthropocentric view (p 130) an ecocentric view
Extension task Global crime reports from BBC world service: Google: BBC world service global crime report Investigate some more global crimes. . .
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