Green Crime - AQA A Level Sociology

Green Crime

Global Risk Society

- most threats to eco-system human-made; major risks of society are of our own making

- Beck (1992) - in today's late modern society, our increase in productivity and technology has led to 'manufactured risks', for example: global warming

- Example of Global Risk Society: in 2010, a global warming triggered heat-wave in Russia produced wildfires across the 'grain belt' which resulted in a food-shortage, Russia introduced export bans and pushed up the world price of grain, this affected Mozambique which was experiencing a drought and was heavily dependant on food imports, resulted in riots and looting of food stores across Mozambique 

How Green Criminology differs from Traditional Criminology

 - Traditional Criminology is not concerned with much of green crime as often no actual national or international law has been broken: Situ and Emmons (2000) - define environmental crime as 'an authorised act or omission that violates the law'

• This definition clearly defines green crime, but it accepts socially constructed definitions of what constitutes green crime shaped by the powerful to meet their own interests

- Green Criminology looks at the notion of environmental 'harms' rather than socially constructed laws: Rob White (2008) - defines environmental crime as any action that harms the environment and/or humans and animals, even if no law is broken

- Green Criminology is a form of 'transgressive criminology' as it transcends the boundaries of traditional criminology: it can also be known as 'zemiology' - the study of 'harms'

• This approach has a more global perspective as different countries' laws regarding green crime are not consistent

Two Views to Harm

- Rob…