Green Victimology Summary
Degradation of the environment is a severe problem that has terrible effects on plants, animals, and the ecosystem, impacting daily life. The physical, emotional, and financial impact of illegal dumping, illicit logging, and animal poaching on victims. For example, causing ecological degradation that results in environmental withdrawals, such as the extraction of natural resources that results in severe effects such as deforestation or pollution. Therefore, environmental pollution is a significant crime that causes harm to the environment and, as a result, has a severe impact on human existence that results in unfavorable health conditions. Consequently, a multidisciplinary study of green victimology is required to create solutions to protect victims and mitigate the detrimental effects of environmental crime. It also examines how environmental crime victims might be empowered to seek justice and hold offenders accountable.
Evaluation and Integration
It investigates how individuals, communities, and societies are affected by environmental disasters and how these occurrences can have lasting effects on social, economic, and political systems. By researching the impact of environmental disasters on vulnerable groups and communities, green victimology tries to identify solutions for environmental justice challenges. Green victimology’s strength is its emphasis on comprehending the broader repercussions of environmental calamities. It tries to investigate these occurrences’ social, economic, and political repercussions instead of their immediate physical effects. Moreover, “human victims of environmental devastation are not typically acknowledged as ‘crime’ victims” (White, 2018). However, one critique of green victimology is that it does not emphasize prevention. Although it addresses the long-term effects of environmental disasters, it does not offer advice on preventing their occurrence. Moreover, green victimology does not address the fundamental causes of environmental damage, such as poverty and inequality (Johnson, 2017). As a result, green victimology needs a complete method for comprehending and addressing environmental justice challenges.
Application
The genesis of the Flint water crisis was in 2014 when the Flint River was the city’s primary water source. Due to the corrosiveness that was caused by lead pipes, the city water was contaminated. This caused severe harm to the residents, thus, alerting the city Governor Rick Snyder who declared a state of emergency in early 2016 (NRDCflix, 2017). The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also declared an emergency and advised Flint residents not to drink tap water. In later years, the city endeavored to replace its lead-contaminated pipes and enhance the quality of its water supply (NRDCflix, 2017). The water crisis has had far-reaching repercussions on the population, including health issues related to lead exposure.
The situation also resulted in severe economic hardship, with many businesses abandoning the area and residents paying inflated prices for bottled water. Numerous investigations, including a 2016 report from the US House of Representatives, found that the state of Michigan failed to respond promptly and did not take adequate measures to ensure the safety of Flint’s drinking water (NRDCflix, 2017). In 2017, Michigan announced a $97 million replacement plan for lead-tainted pipes in Flint. In addition to the state and federal governments, many nonprofits and organizations have stepped up to assist the inhabitants of Flint (Fighting for safe water in Flint, n.d). These groups have offered vital services like clean water, medical treatment, and other resources to assist the community in recovering from the catastrophe. Even though the water issue has had catastrophic impacts on the community, the city is beginning to recover slowly. In 2020, Flint’s mayor, Karen Weaver, proclaimed the city’s water safe for consumption. The city is still replacing its remaining lead pipes and enhancing water quality (NRDCflix, 2017). Despite the gains made, the city of Flint and its inhabitants are still dealing with the long-term impacts of the water crisis, and the path to recovery remains lengthy.
References
Johnson, D. S. (2017). The status of green criminology in victimology research. McNair Scholars Research Journal, 10(1), 8. Web.
NRDCflix. (2017). Fighting for Safe Water in Flint [Video]. YouTube. Web.
White, R. (2018). Green victimology and non-human victims. International Review of Victimology, 24(2), 239-255. Web.