The type of environmental crime problem

The case study is on the love canal tragedy, an environmental crimecommitted in the Neighborhood of Niagara Falls in New York.  In this case, the environmental crime committed was the dumping of toxic chemicals in the neighborhood, which caused harm to multipleresidents living within the area(Beck, 1979).  The love Canal had become adumpsite for the municipal ofNiagara Falls city.

Where did this happen, and when?

The love Canalwas developed in the 1890s as a model-planned community but onlypartiallydeveloped. As aresult, in the 1920s, it became a dumpsite for Niagara Fallscity before being bought in the 1940s by a chemical company that used the site for dumping its chemical byproducts used in manufacturingsolvents, dyes, and perfumes(Beck, 1979).  The people dumping chemicals in this area did not realize the type of harm they were causing to the residents.

The consequences of the crime on the communities/people involved

The homeownersbegan experiencing the effects of the chemicals. In the late 1950s to 1970s, there were continuous complaints of odors and substances surfacing near the yards, including in the school playground. Instead of the city council acting, they covered the substances with clay or dirt(Beck, 1979).   A study was conductedin the neighborhood, where it was discovered that there was an increaseinmiscarriages, stillbirths, nervousbreakdowns, epilepsy,and urinarytractdisorders(Kleiman, 2020).  The rate of miscarriageincreased by 300%, and children born in the Love canal neighborhood were born with defects such as a double row of teeth, three ears,and mental retardation(Cruz, 2010). This was attributed to the poor chemical disposal and environmental degradation caused by the dumping.

What can be done to deal with the problem effectively?

This was a major problem, which greatlyaffected many livelihoods in the area. It is manifest that thereis a need for the government to develop moorregulations on giving permits to companies. This is to prevent chemical companies from dumping their wastes without caring about the livelihoods of the others. There is also the need for community policing(Kulin & Sevä, 2019). There would have been protests about the dumpingprior, where organizations could have critically opposed and used the companies and the governmentbefore suchan act was committed.   There is a need for more non-governmentagenciesand organizations who could have fought to protect and conserve the environment.

Who should be responsible for implementing the suggested response strategies?

Governmentagenciesmust implement strategies that can help in environmental protectionbecause they have the resources and thecapability to enact laws and enforce them. Non-governmentorganizations can also be responsible for helping create awarenessand fights towards ensuring that there isenvironmentalconservation in a neighborhood, location, and country(Kulin & Sevä, 2019). It is also an individual responsibility for every citizen to work towards conserving the environmentand reporting any cases of people or companiesthat go against the rules and laws in place for a better future. Collaborations between the state andnon-stateagenciesand the citizens can greatly help in preventingsuch futuretragedies from occurring.

 

 

References

Beck, E. C. (1979). The Love Canal Tragedy. EPA Journal .

Cruz, G. (2010). Top 10 Environmental Disasters. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1986457_1986501_1986441,00.html

Kleiman, D. J. (2020). Love Canal: A Brief History. Retrieved from https://www.geneseo.edu/history/love_canal_history

Kulin, J., & Sevä, I. J. (2019). The Role of Government in Protecting the Environment: Quality of Government and the Translation of Normative Views about Government Responsibility into Spending Preferences. doi:org/10.1080/00207659.2019.1582964