Green Criminology Lecture Slides PDF

Green Criminology Criminology Learning Objectives Discuss the development of green criminology. Define green crimes. Situate green criminology within criminology and sociology. Environmental Sociology Environmental sociology is the scientific study of the relationship and interac...

Green Criminology Criminology Learning Objectives Discuss the development of green criminology. Define green crimes. Situate green criminology within criminology and sociology. Environmental Sociology Environmental sociology is the scientific study of the relationship and interactions between societies and the environment. Environmental sociologists research a wide range of topics including agri-food systems, human-induced environmental degradation, distribution of environmental hazards, and disasters. A human ecosystem is a system of interdependent parts that involves human beings in interaction with one another and the physical environment. The examination of ecosystems has demonstrated two major things. The supply of many natural resources is finite. If one element of an ecosystem is disturbed, the entire system is affected. Environmental Inequality and Environmental Justice Environmental racism is the pattern whereby toxic wastes and other pollutants are disproportionately found in minority and poor neighborhoods. Wealthier communities are better able to resist dumping in their neighborhoods. People of color reside disproportionately closer to toxic sources than do whites. Environmental justice Those cultural norms and values, rules and regulations, policies, behaviors, and decisions that support sustainability, where all people can hold with confidence that their community and natural environment is safe and productive. EPA: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. This goal will be achieved when everyone enjoys: The same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, and Equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. Green Criminology Green criminology refers to “the study of crimes committed against humanity through environmental destruction” (Lynch 1990). Purpose is to provide space within criminology to examine: Environmental problems, The definition of harms against nature as crimes, The need to reconsider criminal justice practices and policies in relationship to the environmental harms they produce, The variety of victims environmental offenses create, And the effect of environmental toxins on ecological systems and species’ health and behavior. Green criminology focuses on ecosystem harm, what is often referred to as ecological disorganization—the disruption of ecosystems and their functions by human activity. Disruptions may be direct or indirect. Ecological disorganization can include ecological withdrawals or additions. Green Criminology Green crimes are “acts that cause or have the potential to cause significant harm to ecological systems for the purpose of increasing or supporting production” (Stretesky, Long, and Lynch 2013). Human behaviors that cause ecological destruction and disorganization Challenges the limited scope of the definition of environmental crimes as violations of criminal laws Crime is a social construct that can and should include harms stemming from ecological destruction. Green Criminology Political Economy It frames environmental problems in terms of how society’s economic organization influences the type and amount of ecological destruction, as well as the social responses to green crime. A society’s economic organization strongly influences a society’s social structure, which includes: The kinds and volumes of green crime, The nature of environmental regulations, How or whether environmental harm/green crime is labeled and controlled. Since commodities cannot be produced without consuming nature, capitalism and nature are always in conflict with each other.