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COMMENTARY: Toward Defining the Concept of Environmental Crime on the Basis of Sustainability

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 June 2009

Ali Mohamed Al-Damkhi ,
Ali Mohamed Khuraibet ,
Sabah Ahmed Abdul-Wahab  and
Faten Abdul-Hameed Al-Attar
Ali Mohamed Al-Damkhi*
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences–College of Health Sciences, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), State of Kuwait
Ali Mohamed Khuraibet
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences–College of Health Sciences, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), State of Kuwait
Sabah Ahmed Abdul-Wahab
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman
Faten Abdul-Hameed Al-Attar
Affiliation:
Department of Environmental Sciences–College of Health Sciences, Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), State of Kuwait
*
Address correspondence to: Ali Mohamed Al-Damkhi, PO Box 9989, Salmiyah, Postal Code 22100, State of Kuwait; (phone) +965 912 2211; (fax) +965 564 7070; (email) [email protected]
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Abstract

The destruction of natural resources is a recurring feature of warfare. Indeed, throughout recorded history, environmental destruction has been used as a deliberate military strategy, and wartime actions affecting the environment constitute some of the most serious discrete instances of humanity's impact on the world's ecosystems. In this commentary, we consider the environmental consequences of warfare, with particular attention to the recent ecological disasters in Kuwait and in the former Yugoslavia. Armed conflicts are still raging worldwide, creating both immediate human tragedy and long-term ecological consequences. The authors argue that legitimizing the concept of environmental crime is an important part of establishing accountability and of providing appropriate recompense for acts of war. We propose that the principle of sustainability, and the right to environmental justice are the most pertinent basis for defining environmental crime. On this basis, we offer a core definition of the features of an environmental crime, and we call upon international leaders to assist in the establishment of legal frameworks that are adequate to address such crimes.

Type
FEATURES
Information
Environmental Practice , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , June 2009 , pp. 115 - 124
Copyright
Copyright © National Association of Environmental Professionals 2009

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