Crimes Against the Environment

Offering a concise explanation of the prosecution of so-called “green crimes,” Crimes Against the Environment begins with an explanation of two kinds of emerging law: statutes targeting “primary” offenses (actual damage done directly to the environment) and those concerning “secondary” violations (harm done to people or property for the purpose of perpetuating activities that damage the environment—for example, French intelligence sinking a Greenpeace ship in 1985). Yet, as we learn from host Dr. Steven Taylor and various interviewees, a divide exists between those routinely punished for infractions (individuals and small organizations) and those who are not (the multinational corporations that do most of the polluting). Industries that pollute without impunity and exploit without social consciousness drive the marketplace, and since capitalism feeds on consumption, companies must keep growing to sustain profits. So there is little economic reason for the system to stop and weigh the consequences for either the planet's health or for the billions of people with no clean drinking water or safe haven from industrial mishaps and catastrophe. Possible solutions? Some ideas here are drawn from sociology, such as the notion that peer influence could play a big part in getting people to change their consumer habits; others come from a close examination of the tenets of Karl Marx and Max Weber. The bottom line is that the environment will continue to lose ground until sufficient pressure is brought on corporations and developing (or developed) countries to change. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (T. Keogh)