Legal Definitions - environmental crime

An environmental crime is an illegal act that violates laws designed to protect the natural environment, public health, and natural resources. These offenses typically involve actions that cause significant harm or pose a serious threat to ecosystems, wildlife, air, water, or land, and they carry criminal penalties such as fines or imprisonment.

• Illegal Disposal of Hazardous Waste: Imagine a chemical manufacturing company that, to save money, secretly disposes of highly toxic industrial byproducts by dumping them into an abandoned quarry rather than following strict regulations for safe treatment and disposal. This action contaminates the soil and groundwater, posing a severe risk to local wildlife and human communities.

  Explanation: This is an environmental crime because the company deliberately violated laws governing the safe handling and disposal of hazardous waste. Their actions caused significant pollution and endangered public health and the environment, which are direct breaches of statutes designed to prevent such harm.

• Unauthorized Logging in a Protected Forest: Consider a logging operation that illegally cuts down a large number of trees in a designated national forest without obtaining the required permits. The area is known for its unique biodiversity and serves as a critical habitat for several rare species.

  Explanation: This constitutes an environmental crime because it involves the unauthorized exploitation of natural resources within a protected area. Such actions violate forestry laws and conservation statutes aimed at preserving forests, preventing deforestation, and protecting wildlife habitats.

• Smuggling of Endangered Species: Picture an individual attempting to smuggle a shipment of exotic birds, illegally captured from their natural habitat in another country, across international borders to sell them on the black market. Many of these birds are listed as endangered or protected species.

  Explanation: This is an environmental crime because it involves the illegal trade and trafficking of protected wildlife. Such actions violate international treaties and national laws designed to prevent poaching, protect endangered species from extinction, and preserve global biodiversity.