Consequences of environmental crime

Numerous studies have documented the following environmental impacts of environmental crime. It is well known that these crimes lead to habitat loss, environmental damage and continued pollution.

• The “industrial scale” trade in illegally harvested timber is a significant component of an otherwise legitimate but often unsustainable global business. Due to its uncontrolled nature and disregard for environmental standards, illegal logging contributes significantly to deforestation, habitat loss, and declining biodiversity. Flooding, landslides, and coastal erosion are all made more likely by illegal logging. The loss of critical environmental services, soil quality, and the integrity of regional climate systems are just some of the ecological consequences.
• Overfishing, loss of marine biodiversity and food security are all consequences of illegal fishing, an aspect of fisheries crime.
• Global pollution of air, land and waterways through pollution crimes such as illegal dumping and trading of waste endangers local ecosystems and harms not only human health but also that of animals and plants.
• The illegal consumption and production of ozone-depleting substances such as hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), hydrochlorofluorocarbons and other ozone-depleting substances compromise the immune systems of animals, make them more susceptible to disease and reduce the productivity of plants and phytoplankton.
• The destruction of natural flora and fauna, landscape degradation, pollution and radiation risks are just some of the serious environmental impacts of illegal mining, which are increasingly becoming a major public concern. Agricultural land, commercial crops and plants are damaged in these ways.
• In addition to accelerating deforestation and reducing biodiversity, illegal logging exacerbates the impacts of climate change. This is particularly evident in the Congo Basin and peatlands, which are one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. It has the potential to dump enough fossil fuel emissions into the United States for 20 years if it is disrupted.

Economic and social consequences of environmental crime

The illegal use of resources has harmful socio-economic consequences for people, communities, businesses and states, such as the following:

• Criminals undermine the livelihoods of individuals in a wide variety of areas by destroying industries, robbing legitimate operators of their resources, and/or undermining legal marketplaces. For example, according to research by the American Forest & Paper Association, illegal logging, depending on the article, reduces global timber prices by 6% to 17%. As a result, U.S. companies suffer losses of at least $40 million annually.
• Illegal fishing in the fisheries sector threatens the survival of coastal communities, particularly in underdeveloped countries with inadequate government frameworks. The fisheries sector employs over 500 million people in underdeveloped countries, and the decline in fish stocks caused by illegal and unregulated fishing significantly impacts the quality of life of these people.
• A vicious circle is created when environmental crime causes the state to lose tax revenues, and the state must then invest in preventing future crimes and restoring the environment. The state loses tax revenues due to environmental crimes, and the need to spend money on combating these crimes, cleaning up the environment, financing medical treatments, or developing safe infrastructure can put a state under enormous financial and political pressure. For example, it is estimated that illegal logging deprives developing country governments of at least $10 billion in revenues and taxes each year. Similarly, illegal chromite mining in the Khost region alone results in annual financial losses to the Afghan government of more than $5.4 million.

Impact on human health

The consequences of environmental crime for human health are as follows:

• The health and well-being of people are negatively affected by environmental crime in many different ways. For example, deforestation and land-use change facilitate the transmission of previously undiagnosed diseases from animals to humans. The surprising spread of Ebola disease is an example of how this is visible.
• Crimes related to pollution can sometimes lead to death or serious disability, often in the world’s poorest countries. In 2012, the International Labor Organization, or ILO, conducted a comprehensive study on e-waste, one of the fastest growing black markets.

• The report identifies several health problems associated with e-waste, such as breathing, lung irritation, choking, coughing, pneumonia, neuropsychiatric problems, convulsions, tremors, coma and even death. According to the study, e-waste operators are also exposed to several hazards that can cause acute diseases and chronic conditions such as asthma, skin diseases, eye irritations and stomach diseases.
• The illegal production and use of HCFCs, CFCs and other ozone-depleting substances increase the risk of sun-induced skin aging, skin cancer, cataracts and weakened immune systems. They also contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer.

Impact on governance and sustainable development

Environmental crime threatens sustainable development and human rights, and undermines the effectiveness and regulation of global environmental governance institutions.

• Although not specifically included in the United Nations 2030 Agenda, environmental crime is closely related to the issues that the SDGs aim to address and represents a significant obstacle to achieving these goals. The Agenda refers in this context to issues related to environmental crime, such as “depletion of natural resources and adverse effects of environmental degradation” and “climate change”.
• Environmental crimes often assist in the commission of other crimes, such as corruption, financial fraud, and obstruction of justice, thereby weakening the “rule of law.” The “rule of law” is a fundamental legal concept at the core of the United Nations. The international community developed the term “environmental rule of law” to promote the rule of law and achieve environmental stability. An important benchmark for environmental duties and rights is “environmental rule of law.”
• In their quest to control critical resources, such as water supplies, agricultural lands, forests, mines, etc., communities and countries may come into conflict over the environment. As a result, there may be a threat to the security and stability of a country or region. Furthermore, the potential economic value that environmental crime brings has an impact on an increasing number of highly organized and threatening entities, such as organized criminal groups and terrorist organizations.
• The high revenues from the exploitation of illicit resources have led to many conflicts resulting in violations of human rights and humanitarian law, such as forced labour, the use of children as combatants in bloody conflicts and sexual and gender-based violence.

Final thoughts

Environmental crime has economic and social consequences, as well as impacts on human health and governance and sustainable development. Illegal logging and wildlife trafficking are increasingly driven by organised groups that exploit natural resources and destroy habitats, depriving communities of their livelihoods, endangering the wider economy and endangering endangered species and ecosystems.