An eco-critical criminological analysis of the 1990 Clean Air Act

Based on the history of the Clean Air Act (CAA), this study postulates that clean air policy which does not integrate ecological knowledge into the construction of air pollution abatement strategies will not reduce air pollution. To examine this proposition, this study conducts an eco-critical criminological critique of the 1990 CAA. Eco-critical criminological critique is a model constructed from environmental ethics literature and four commonly espoused ecological principles.;The CAA contains five major pollution control Titles. Each one of these regulatory Titles is examined in a separate chapter in this dissertation. The following research questions are asked of the major pollution abatement strategies of the 1990 CAA. Which 1990 Clean Air Act abatement strategies have succeeded thus far based on the goals and objectives established in the Act? Which 1990 Clean Air Act abatement strategies have thus far failed based on the goals and objectives established in the Act? Does successful implementation always mean reduced pollution? Can successful abatement strategies be explained by their adherence to ecological principles? Can unsuccessful abatement strategies be explained by their lack of adherence to ecological principles?;Analyzing these five research questions involves a three phase procedure applied separately to each major Title. Phase one outlines the objectives and modis operandi of the particular Title under investigation. This phase provides the platform for critique in the subsequent second and third phases of analysis. Phase two analyzes government data to answer the first three research questions. Phase three answers research questions four and five.;The findings suggest that air pollution abatement strategies that are not ecologically informed do not reduce air pollution. Most clean air abatement strategies are not ecologically informed. A majority of the air pollution abatement strategies fail because they do not address the reduction of pollution sources and provide the necessary impetus to alter the behaviors responsible for our air pollution problems.