On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded after a series of issues with the Macondo oil well, around the Louisiana coast, in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the death of 11 workers and wounding 17 others. On April 22, the rig sank into the ocean. Large quantities of oil have then poured into the Gulf waters for almost 3 months, causing the most serious oil spill in history. The event is critically examined in relation to the State-corporate crime integrated theoretical model by Michalowski and Kramer (2006), in particular using the institutional level (the relationship between politics and economics) and the operationality of control catalyst (the presence or absence of social control). The results are presented with a deductive strategy. Furthermore, part of the long-term consequences on the environment will be presented, using a deductive thematic strategy. I believe, in order to comprehend the importance of this study field and the relevance of my work, it is necessary to fully analyze the long-term consequences of the DWH (Deepwater Horizon) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The analysis is developed within a case study, based on a literature review. Results show that not only the long-term consequences of the oil spill on the environment are devastating on almost all the elements studied, but that the role of the State in the accident was decisive, especially for the work culture which developed during the years, that led to the accident.

Denna kandidatuppsats fokuserar på relationen mellan konsumtion, konsumenter och miljöförändringar från ett holistiskt synsätt. Syftet är att undersöka konsumenters attityd och kunskap om konsumtion, välbefinnande, och miljöproblem. För min studie har jag använt mig av kvalitativa semistrukturella intervjuer och litteraturstudier. Resultatet av min studie visar att många av intervjupersonerna inte är bekanta med begreppet hållbar utveckling. Detta till trots hade dem kunskap om klimatförändringar samt miljömässiga och sociala problem relaterade till konsumtion. Välbefinnande beskrivs av intervju personerna, främst som ”att ha tillräckligt”, ex. boende, jobb, mat och speciellt att ha god hälsa. Ingen av de tillfrågade konsumenterna var nöjda med den tillgängliga informationen om konsumtion och olika varor, men de hade alla idéer om hur man bättre kan informera om konsumtion. De av konsumenterna mest upplevda barriärerna var tid för att planera inköp, avsaknad av information eller privat ekonomi. / This study focuses on the relations between consumption, consumers and environmental change seen from a holistic perspective. The purpose of the study is to examine the attitudes and knowledge among consumers, about consumption, well-being, and environmental issues. To study these questions, I did personal qualitative semi-structural interviews and literature studies. My research showed that now many of the interviewed persons were familiar with the concept of sustainable development. However, the subjects showed to have good knowledge on climate change and other environmental and social problems related to consumption. To most of the interviewed persons, well-being meant to have “enough”, explained as housing, work, food, and especially good health. None of the consumers were satisfied with the information about different commodities and they all had different ideas of how information about consumption could be improved. The most experienced barrier to the consumer’s possibility to consume more sustainable, was time or rather lack of time in everyday life to plan the purchases, as well as personal economy.

The Virtual Water Trade (VWT) thesis has in recent years taken centre stage in the global water security and political economy discourse for its ability to mitigate water scarcity issues through global trade. However, it has been criticised for neglecting the externalities and the full social-environmental costs, which in this research is highlighted through the case of Brazil. This multivariate research critically assesses the dangers of seeing VWT as a ‘pure’ economic model by investigating the intervening variable of the structural conditions of the Brazilian government and their close intertwinement with agricultural corporations. By qualitative content analysis and empirical data supporting the arguments, the research found that agrarian corporations’ participation in an extractivist system can only thrive where the state actively guarantees the structural condition. This includes financial incentives which provide them with the hegemonic power to influence policies and amendments favouring agrarian business expansion with detrimental socio-environmental consequences for the vulnerable communities within Brazil. The research concludes that it is important to acknowledge this macro-micro linkage when formulating international agreements regarding agricultural trade, otherwise, the purpose of the Virtual Water Trade to mitigate water stress and prevent violent conflicts is instead undermined.