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Crime, Harm, and Climate Change Nexus

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Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ((ENUNSDG))

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Synonyms

Harm, Social harm, Aggression, Violence

Definition

Crime can be defined as any act violating the criminal law in the jurisdiction it was committed, resulting in some form of punishment. However, beyond the legislation, there is no objective standard, no ontological reality, that prescribes which behaviors should be called a crime (e.g., Hillyard and Tombs 2004), and what is defined as a crime depends on the social, cultural, political, and historical context. Crime therefore should be understood as a social construct, a product of interactions and negotiations between people, within social groups, and shaped by power or lack of it to criminalize or decriminalize certain acts (ibid; Agnew 2011a).

Arguably then, the focus should shift from the acts themselves to their consequences and the harms they cause, regardless of whether the behavior in question is dealt via criminal law (Hillyard and Tombs 2004). What is meant by “harm” is equally difficult to objectively define,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, UK

    Katja M. Hallenberg

Authors
  1. Katja M. Hallenberg
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Correspondence to Katja M. Hallenberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. European School of Sustainability, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Center for Neuroscience & Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Anabela Marisa Azul

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  4. HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Amanda Lange Salvia

  5. Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Pinar Gökcin Özuyar

  6. International Centre for Thriving, University of Chester, Chester, UK

    Tony Wall

Section Editor information

  1. Institute for Legal Research (UCILeR), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Alexandra Aragão

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Hallenberg, K.M. (2021). Crime, Harm, and Climate Change Nexus. In: Leal Filho, W., Azul, A.M., Brandli, L., Lange Salvia, A., Özuyar, P.G., Wall, T. (eds) Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71066-2_138-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71066-2_138-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71066-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71066-2

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