Environmental Crime - a Threat to Our Future
The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) recently presented a report, Environmental Crime - a Threat to Our Future, to a UN meeting on trans-border organized crime. According to the report, environmental crime generates billions in profits for criminals annually. Environmental crime includes the illegal trading of wildlife, smuggling of toxic substances and hazardous waste, illegal fishing, illegal logging and trade in stolen timber.
The fact that there are those willing to steal and destroy the environment for profit, doesn't surprise me. How often do you hear of legitimate businesses that take advantage of public trust and harm the environment? Be it the dumping of toxic waste, including banned substances in their products or lobbying governments to reign in regulators -- well respected corporate giants already do it -- although those that break the law are thankfully few. I'm not suggesting that the criminals in the EIA report are no different from legitimate businesses. They are different. Crime is the enterprise of criminals -- not legitimate businesses.
The hardened criminals and legitimate businesses, have one thing in common however -- customers -- the public. There are people willing to buy the tusks of elephants; the skin of endangered animals; the fins of shark -- and by extension, shark-fin soup; trees cut illegally and the products made from them; and yes, even chemicals that contribute to the destruction of the planet they and us, live on. You've probably know the type. They're the ones for whom doing the right thing is for someone else. They're motivated by self interest and feel no remorse for their wrongdoing. It's not enough to just shine the light on the criminals -- more needs to be done to expose the market these criminals service.
The fact that there are those willing to steal and destroy the environment for profit, doesn't surprise me. How often do you hear of legitimate businesses that take advantage of public trust and harm the environment? Be it the dumping of toxic waste, including banned substances in their products or lobbying governments to reign in regulators -- well respected corporate giants already do it -- although those that break the law are thankfully few. I'm not suggesting that the criminals in the EIA report are no different from legitimate businesses. They are different. Crime is the enterprise of criminals -- not legitimate businesses.
The hardened criminals and legitimate businesses, have one thing in common however -- customers -- the public. There are people willing to buy the tusks of elephants; the skin of endangered animals; the fins of shark -- and by extension, shark-fin soup; trees cut illegally and the products made from them; and yes, even chemicals that contribute to the destruction of the planet they and us, live on. You've probably know the type. They're the ones for whom doing the right thing is for someone else. They're motivated by self interest and feel no remorse for their wrongdoing. It's not enough to just shine the light on the criminals -- more needs to be done to expose the market these criminals service.
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