Green Criminology and Green Theories of Justice: An Introduction to a Political Economic View of Eco-Justice (Palgrave Studies in Green Criminology)

This book offers an alternative analysis of the various theories and dimensions of green and environmental justice which are rooted in political economy. Much green criminological literature side-lines political economic theoretical insights, and therefore with this this work the authors enrich the field by vigorously exploring such perspectives. It engages with a number of studies relevant to a political economic approach to justice in order to make two key arguments: that capitalism has produced profound ecological injustices and that the concept of ecological justice (human and ecological rights) itself needs critiquing. Green Criminology and Green Theories of Justice is a timely text which urges the field to revisit its radical roots in social justice while broadening its disciplinary horizons to include a meaningful analysis of political economy and its role in producing and responding to environmental harm and injustice Preface 6 Contents 10 List of Tables 12 1: Introduction: Green Theories of Justice and Political Economy 13 The Chapters That Follow 20 Nature “Versus” Humans or a Nature-Human Dialectic? 22 Toward Conceptualizing Eco-justice 26 References 27 2: Connecting Ecological Decline and Eco-justice 33 Indicators of Ecological Decline 36 Planetary Boundaries 36 The Planetary Boundaries, Measures and Effects 38 Carbon Dioxide Concentration and Radiative Forcing 38 Ocean Acidification 39 Stratospheric Ozone Depletion 40 Biogeochemical Availability 40 Biodiversity Loss 41 Global Freshwater Use 41 Land Use Change 42 Atmospheric Aerosol Loading 42 Pollutants 42 Summing Up Rockstrom et al. 43 The Human Ecological Footprint 44 References 47 3: Eco-justice and an Orientation toward the Ecosystem 53 Naming the Concept of Green Justice 58 The Concept of Eco-justice 62 Eco-justice, Planetary Boundaries and the Human Ecological Footprint 63 Capitalism and the Production of Eco-injustice 67 References 69 4: Human Social & Ecological Justice in the Global World Capitalist System and the Treadmill of Production 75 HSEJ and Eco-justice 75 The Capitalist World System, the Treadmill of Production and HSEJ 76 World System Theory and HSEJ 77 The Treadmill of Production and HSEJ 79 Connecting the Capitalist World System, the Treadmill of Production and HSEJ 83 Acknowledging Ecologically Unequal Exchange Effects 87 The Relevance of Ecological Footprints and Consumption Patterns in the Global Capitalist World System 90 Ecologically Unequal Exchange Includes Pollution and Waste 93 Acknowledging Natural Capital Impacts 94 Capitalism, Native People and HSEJ Issues 96 Conclusion 98 References 98 5: Unsustainable Economic Development and Nonhuman Ecological Justice 104 The Political Economic Analysis of Nonhuman Ecological Justice 106 Nonhuman Eco-injustice (NHEJ) 109 Nonhuman Species Extinctions 111 Nonhuman Ecological Injustice in the Extant Green Criminological Literature 119 Ebay and the Treadmill of Animal Commodification 124 Conclusion 129 References 130 6: Gaia and a Green Theory of Justice 137 Background: Moving Away from the “Only Humans Matter” Concept of Justice 139 Propositions on Gaia, Disequilibrium, Injustice and the Human Origins of Harms and Injustice Against Gaia 141 Propositions Elaborating Human Harm and Injustice Against Gaia 145 Implications and Analysis 148 Enter Political Economy 154 Conclusion 156 References 157 7: Metabolic Rift and Eco-justice 160 Why Metabolic Rift? 163 What Is Metabolic Rift? 169 The Empirical Dimensions of the Metabolic Rift 176 The Metabolic Rift as Crime 180 The Empirical Dimensions of Planetary Boundaries and Ecosystem Stability 184 Ecological Justice, the Metabolic Rift and Planetary Boundaries 186 Conclusion 193 References 193 8: Political Economy, Food and Eco-justice 202 Food Regimes and the Political Economy of Food 203 Industrialization of Food Production 205 Transnational Organization of Production 208 Eco-justice and Food 211 Conclusion 213 References 214 9: Conclusion 216 References 225 References 227 Index 259 Front Matter ....Pages i-xi Introduction: Green Theories of Justice and Political Economy (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 1-20 Connecting Ecological Decline and Eco-justice (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 21-40 Eco-justice and an Orientation toward the Ecosystem (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 41-62 Human Social & Ecological Justice in the Global World Capitalist System and the Treadmill of Production (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 63-91 Unsustainable Economic Development and Nonhuman Ecological Justice (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 93-125 Gaia and a Green Theory of Justice (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 127-149 Metabolic Rift and Eco-justice (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 151-192 Political Economy, Food and Eco-justice (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 193-206 Conclusion (Michael J. Lynch, Michael A. Long, Paul B. Stretesky)....Pages 207-217 Back Matter ....Pages 219-257