ecoterrorism
1
9.1
- noun
- /ˌiːkoʊˈtɛrəˌrɪzəm/
- Offensive
:
ecoterrorismo
- The FBI is warning law enforcement to be vigilant for potential ecoterrorism incidents targeting environmental activists.
Examples
-
Ecoterrorism is very, very real and increasing, as that paper from George Washington University shows.
Blog text (12) -
Ecoterrorism: Extremism in the Animal Rights and Environmentalist Movements
Blog text (12) -
Another organization's ecoterrorism newsletter "recommends burning trees down to save them from loggers" (Eagan 1996, 9).
Academic text (1999) -
A recent arson attack on a logging facility has raised concerns about rising ecoterrorism in the region.
-
Experts are debating whether the protest action should be classified as ecoterrorism due to its aggressive nature.
Synonyms
Using or threatening violence to make others change how they treat nature
Violent attacks to help environmental activists reach political goals
Planned actions that harm nature to achieve political goals
Antonyms
12
2.8
A public meeting where people gather to show support or opposition without violence
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
ecoterrorism = terrorism (semi-transparent) = eco + terr + or + ism
The word is built transparently from eco- plus terrorism, but the resulting label denotes a specialized political term rather than a fully ordinary compositional meaning.
Etymology
The word ecoterrorism joins eco-, as in ecology and ecosystem, meaning 'environment', with terrorism, which comes from terror meaning 'fear'. So ecoterrorism is using threats or violence to frighten people for environmental causes.