What Is Meant By Environmental Crimes?
The term “Environmental Crime” is self-explanatory. Environmental crimes are defined as illegal acts that directly and significantly harm the environment, encompassing activities that violate environmental protection laws and regulations. Unlike traditional property crimes, these offenses threaten the integrity of natural ecosystems, biodiversity, and human health on a potentially massive scale. They are no longer isolated incidents but form the fourth largest and fastest-growing area of transnational organized crime, generating billions of dollars annually for criminal networks.
List Of Common Eco-Crimes:
- Illegal Hunting: Illegal hunting or poaching of wildlife anywhere around the world including Pakistan is a major environmental crime. The killing of wildlife that is already vulnerable, endangered or on the brink of extinction is a crime whose breach can lead to consequences under law.
Related: Illegal Wildlife Trade in Pakistan – Threat to Endangered Species
Also check out, Hunting and Poaching of Wildlife – Causes, Effects, and Solutions - Illegal Deforestation: Cutting down trees and forests for whatever purpose- whether it is for cultivation, timber, logging or making way for urbanization or industries- it is a major crime. The importance of trees in unparalleled in our fight against global warming and climate change since they are responsible for carbon sequestration.
- Illegal Fishing: The problem of illegal marine resource harvesting and exploitation has lead to a tragedy of commons. This is because it is not only difficult to regulate when and where people are fishing unless strict control over each area is implemented. As a direct result of this certain species are declining in population that are crucial to their respective ecosystems.
Related: Deep Sea Mining and Its Negative Effects on the Environment - Illegal Mining: Mining of coal and other precious gems is a big problem as well. This not only leads to severe health issues among coal mine workers like silicosis, asbestosis etc. More often than not, these illegal mining activities are being led by criminal organizations and syndicates that are involved in smuggling and trade of these resources. Moreover, illegal mining can also lead to the formation of underground sinkholes as coal mining causes hollow underbelly of land that can collapse anytime. This is even more of a threat especially since these activities are unregulated and thus authorities in the area have no idea that there is a risk of sinkhole collapse. Furthermore, the acid mine drainage and water pollution as well as loss of biodiversity that occurs in the wake of it are also unaccounted for.
Read more: Impact of Gemstone Mining and Illegal Trade from Pakistan - Waste Dumping: Illegal waste dumping in water or land in the form of toxic oil spills, chemicals, or just general refuse and sewage waste from municipal and domestic sources are involved. This not only leads to contamination of natural resources but also causes loss of biodiversity and effects marine life.
- Wetland Destruction: This further includes activities that negatively effect coral reefs, mangroves, wetlands, marshes, swamps, bogs etc. These are important buffers in our environment and ecosystem that help regulate and maintain earth’s temperature. Cutting them down for other purposes or dumping waste in them is a major crime.
- Burning Waste: Burning waste like crop residue, litter or garbage in general is a crime against the environmental protection efforts since it contributes a large number of CO2 which we know is a heat trapping gas. This also leads to smog formation that can cause breathing problems and respiratory ailments for people in the vicinity. In many developed nations there is a fine imposed for burning any sort of material unless special license is granted by the authorities.
- E-Waste Dumping: Mismanagement of electronic waste such as circuit boards, motherboards, lithium ion batteries, wires etc. are all included. Since many electronic appliances contain heavy metal traces, their improper dumping leads to chemical leaching that can deteriorate land quality. They can also be up taken by nearby plants and ultimately harm human and animal health by entering the food chain.
How To Stop Environmental Crimes?
Effective action against environmental crimes requires a multi-pronged approach that targets the high-profit, low-risk nature of these offenses:
- Strengthen Legal and Penal Systems:
- Implement strict environmental laws with clearly defined offenses and harmonize them across jurisdictions.
- Enact harsher, more dissuasive penalties (fines based on global income, long prison sentences) to make the financial risk outweigh the reward.
- Introduce legislation to legally recognize “ecocide” as a crime to address large-scale environmental destruction.
- Enhance Law Enforcement and Intelligence:
- Increase funding and resources for environmental regulators, prosecutors, and specialized enforcement units.
- Employ a “follow the money” strategy, using anti-money laundering (AML) laws to trace and confiscate the illicit financial gains of criminal networks.
- Utilize advanced technology (satellite imagery, drones, AI detection) for real-time monitoring and evidence gathering.
- Foster Global and Community Cooperation:
- Improve international cooperation between police agencies (e.g., INTERPOL), customs, and financial intelligence units to disrupt transnational crime syndicates.
- Protect and empower environmental defenders and Indigenous communities, who are often the front line against illegal activities.
- Launch public awareness campaigns to reduce consumer demand for illegally sourced products (e.g., wildlife, timber).
CONCLUSION:
The list of eco-crimes is by no means definitive. Anything that is done against the law, in excess and has a harmful effect on human health fits the description of an eco-crime. Unfortunately, in many places of the world including Pakistan, most of these eco-crimes are common and no one takes responsibility of ensuring that the laws are implemented and enforced.
Collective awareness and importance of preserving our environment needs to be inculcated in people and future generations so as to put a stop to these crimes. We should do our part and urge people not to litter, burn waste and partake in other harmful activities to help our immediate environment and planet.
Also check out, What Is Green Colonialism? – Everything You Need To Know
Also read, What is Greenwashing? – Types and Negative Effects
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