Review of ArticleTitled Carbon in the Atmosphere and Power in America by Kramer Ronald

This article by Kramer (2013) examines the problem of climate change from a criminological perspective. The author argues that the United States failure to mitigate climate change can be conceptualized as a state-corporate crime. Although climate change has been in existence for many years, it emerged as a serious international agenda in the mid-1980s (Moser, 2010). McCormick, et al. (2012) says that the earth got significantly warmer in the period after the 1970s due to increased human activities. The environmental damage triggered by global warming has adverse social, economic and political effects on communities. According to Ackerman and Stanton (2008), it cost the United States about 1.8% of its gross domestic products to address the impacts of global warming. Kramer argues that reduction in freshwater caused by climate change would trigger the mass movement of people across borders and conflicts. Despite recognizing the threats climate change, Kramer suggests that the United States has failed to respond to the situation as required. Lack of response in Kramers view can be considered as a state-corporate crime.

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Although the goals of the article are not explicitly stated, Kramers intended to demonstrate that the United States is committing a crime by not acting on climate change. The writer believes that anthropogenic climate change is preventable. However, the United States is denying the existence global warming and has also failed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He uses the concept of state-corporate crime to show that such failure to act on a situation that has negative socio-economic and political effect is akin to facilitating crime. Kramer gives examples of how various administrations led by presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have treated climate change issues. He, for instance, blames Republican in the Congress for blocking or weakening good environmental laws. Secondly, Kramer calls for action by the government of the United States against climate change.

. Kramer (2013) uses state-corporate crime approach proposed by himself and Michalowski in 1990 to examine crimes related to global warming. This approach examines social and criminal harms that emanate from the interaction of political and economic organizations. It focuses on states role in facilitating socially harmful acts perpetrated by its agencies and corporations. According to Kramer (2013), some crimes are a joint product of the interaction between business organizations and state agencies or policies. Bruce and Becker (2007) say that traditionally criminological research has focused on individual violations ignoring the conduct of state in pursuit of its goals. With the emergence of state-corporate crime, scholars have begun to look beyond individuals in criminal activities. Kramer cites an example of Polly Higgins, a British lawyer who has proposed that destruction of natural environment be recognized as a crime against humanity. The purpose of using state-corporate crime framework was to explain that the inaction of the United States to mitigate climate change constitute a crime.

The article contends that state is a prime actor in addressing the climate change. Consequently failure by the state to alleviate the climate change or denies it is considered as state criminality. This crime is exacerbated when there is an unnecessary or premature loss of life because the government or its agents fail to act. The author argues that many corporations and state agencies responsible for green house gas emissions have been unable to adopt new productions methods. He blames this problem on the global economy of a predatory capitalist system supported by growth fetishism and state emphasis on consumption and production. According to Kramer (2013), the desire for endless economic growth using finite resources such as fossil fuel is one of the leading causes of global warming. He says that the United States has failed to compel private companies and government institutions to reduce emissions. This failure according to Kramer results to criminal harm and so it is a state-corporate crime.

This article is significant because it reinforces the perspective that failure to act on climate change or deny it can be conceptualized as a state-corporate crime. Recently, environmental issues such as oil spills have attracted legal debates on the culpability of state and oil corporations. Climate change as one of the leading threats to humanity should also be viewed as a criminal issue. Perhaps, treating lack of response to the environmental problem as a criminal issue may compel states to adopt green policies. More importantly, the article also ignites debate on the development of a legal framework to tackle climate change problems at international level.

References

Ackerman, F. and Stanton, E.A., 2007. The cost of climate change: what we'll pay if global warming continues unchecked. The cost of climate change: what we'll pay if global warming continues unchecked.

Bruce, A.S. and Becker, P.J., 2007. State-corporate crime and the Paducah gaseous diffusion plant. W. Criminology Rev., 8, p.29.

Kramer, R.C., 2013. Carbon in the atmosphere and power in America: Climate change as state-corporate crime. Journal of Crime and Justice, 36(2), pp.153-170.

McCormick, et al., 2012. Climate change during and after the Roman Empire: reconstructing the past from scientific and historical evidence. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 43(2), pp.169-220.

Moser, S.C., 2010. Communicating climate change: history, challenges, process and future directions. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(1), pp.31-53.