Green crime, space, and place: an examination of the role of environmental victims in the treadmill of crime

Abstract

This project uses the concepts of "place" and "space" as defined by the geography field to examine the role of environmental victims in the treadmill of crime theoretical framework. The current roles of environmental victims within the treadmill of crime are primarily complacent actors or environmental activists. This study uses in-depth interviews, critical content analysis, and geospatial mapping to further explore how environmental victims respond to environmental harm as enacted by the treadmill of crime. Through applying space and place to the analysis of environmental victims, we find a more nuanced understanding of environmental victims' responses to environmental harm. Through examining a community's sense of place, we find that the environmental victims' role is more complex than simply abiding with exploitation or pushing against it. In this case, environmental victims employed agency through this manufactured sense of place to accept further extraction in their community.