Green Crimes

Green crime in sociology

In this section, we will take a look at the definition and scope of green crime from sociological perspectives.

Definition of green crime in sociology

The term ‘green crime’ was first coined by MJ Lynch (1990), who defined it as:

Much like any sociological concept, there is no single widely accepted definition of green crime.

In fact, in recent times, the definition of green crime has been intentionally broadened to include more factors that harm the environment. However, in its simplest form:

Scope of green crime

The broad definition of green crime is reflective of the many effects of globalisation, which has resulted in crimes ceasing to be limited to a single country or jurisdiction. Rather, crimes like these transcend boundaries and cover multiple jurisdictions.

Ulrich Beck (1992) argues that we have entered what he calls a 'global risk society' where risks now transcend boundaries and environmental damage is a part of the risks created through modern technology. Thus, green crime is truly global, and it does not necessarily impact any particular race, class or even country. This means that all countries need to work together to tackle this problem.

Fig. 1 - The definition of green crime has been intentionally broadened to include more factors that harm the environment; therefore, the definition of green crime is ever-changing.

Green criminology

Traditional criminology uses a narrow definition of green crime - it is defined as any activity that breaches a law that protects the environment. In contrast, green criminology argues that green crime includes all types of environmental harm, regardless of legislation.

It can be said that green criminology is a type of ‘transgressive criminology’ - it breaks the boundaries of traditional criminology and focuses more on the concept of ‘harm’ rather than the concept of ‘crime’ (Lynch, 2003).

White (2006) took this argument a step further and defined green crime as 'any human action that causes environmental harm'. Clearly, in his opinion, an act did not have to break the law to qualify as a green crime as he based his definition on the ultimate harm that arose from the crime.

Examples of green crime

What is considered green crime depends on whom you ask.

However, certain acts most definitely count as a green crime, irrespective of the viewpoint we adopt. Some examples of green crime are:

• illegal trade in wildlife

• smuggling of ozone-depleting substances

• illicit trade in hazardous waste

• illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing; and

• illegal logging and the associated trade in stolen timber

What are the different types of green crime?

In this section, we will take a look at the two major types of green crime.

Primary and secondary green crime

Nigel South (2008) classifies green crimes into two major types: primary and secondary.

Primary green crime

There are four main categories of primary green crime:

• Air pollution

• Deforestation

• Species decline and animal rights

• Water pollution

Secondary green crime

An important example of secondary green crime is state violence against environmental groups. Statutes worldwide confer powers on environmental groups and NGOs to hold the government and private parties accountable when it comes to the environment.

This can include bringing claims against bodies or requesting positive action to better the environment. Thus, state violence against such groups is disobedience of rules made to protect the environment.

It may be worth noting that a single act can include both types of green crime - for example, animal rights and the decline of species. The causes of this may be due to the poaching and trafficking of animals (primary) or legal hunting and environmental changes (secondary).

What is the scope and impact of green crimes?

In this section, we will aim to understand the increasing scope of green crime and put it in perspective by analysing some recent statistics.

Scope of green crime

Recent scientific research suggests that our planet Earth has entered an era of ‘global ecosystem collapse’ caused by human activities such as pollution and excessive consumption (Sato & Lindenmayer, 2018).

What makes green crime more serious is that, as opposed to corporate or state crimes, its effects are felt not just by a single person but by everyone who is a part of the environment.

Clearly, the scope of green crimes in sociology has broadened. It is no longer just about environmental harm; it also includes enforcement of environmental laws and the lack of environmental justice (Lovelock & Margulis, 1974).

Green crime: statistics

While looking at the increasing scope of green crime, we must also remember that even though some green crime effects can be quantified, others cannot.

This should be kept in mind when we analyse statistics related to green crime. It may not be surprising to note that, in terms of value, green crime stands as the fourth-largest crime in the world after drug trafficking, counterfeit crimes, and human trafficking (UNEP, 2016). However, a large part of this does not consider the qualitative effects of green crime.

Nonetheless, the quantifiable statistics of green crime are staggering. The last decade has seen a rise in environmental crimes by an annual growth rate of at least 5–7%, which is higher than the annual growth rate of the global GDP!

Bordesley: green crime case study

Fig. 2 - Industrial waste has become a major problem due to growing production, and courts are not taking favourably to the lawbreakers.

A recent example of an organisation being held accountable for green crimes is the Weir Waste Services case in Bordesley Green. This was a Birmingham company that created a mountain of rubbish at its Bordesley Green base and breached their environmental permit, and subsequently failed to comply with an enforcement notice.

Despite being told to remove some of the rubbish, the bosses at Weir failed to do so and continued adding to the pile of rubbish. The court fined the company £46,250, and it was also ordered to pay £50,000 towards the costs of the prosecution.

Speaking after the case, the Deputy Director of the Environment Agency said that it would take strong enforcement action whenever companies continue to store excessive levels of waste after they’ve been warned and that protection of the environment is of utmost importance.

This case is a clear example of how important environmental damage is. Green crime is a serious problem not just because of legal duties being breached but because it can damage the environment and those who are a part of it.