ABSTRACT
Thus far, this book has integrated diverse narratives in law, political economy, environmental studies and the sociology of harm to examine GM food within ‘eco crime’. From these traditions previous chapters have examined political decision-making, economic and technological change, and quality of life within notions of food security. In doing so, the discussions of science, agriculture, monopoly capitalism, hunger, politics, public opinion and regulation have served to illustrate the complex dynamics involving the development, production, distribution and consumption of GM food. Such dynamics give rise to, nurture and perpetuate what I call ‘eco crime’ (discussed in chapter one). To briefly recap, eco crime encapsulates breaches of law, but also acts of environmental harm. In doing so, it emphasises the plight of victims, those who experience injustice, that is acts committed by states and corporations in the pursuit of trade, power and profit that deprive individuals of the social, cultural and economic benefits of their environment. This approach broadly represents the growing field of green criminology – and it is within these emerging discourses that the discussions thus far have been located.
