Beyond an accident: care and justice from the perspective of green criminology

Abstract

Water is an essential resource for the health of socio-ecosystems; however, pollution poses a critical threat. This study analyzed the accident that occurred in February 2025 at the Benito Juárez Dam in Santa María Jalapa del Marqués, Oaxaca, where a fuel tanker truck fell near the dam wall. Using a qualitative, holistic, and descriptive-analytical approach based on green criminology and employing a literature review, document analysis, and journalistic analysis, the study proposes an analysis that reveals a lack of technical knowledge, inadequate risk assessment, poor communication, failure to apply the precautionary principle, and a lack of protection for vulnerable communities, thus constituting institutional ecological violence as a strategy for covering up negligence. Beyond identifying those responsible, the analysis seeks to propose mitigation, restoration, and environmental justice strategies to protect ecosystems collaboratively.