Environmental Crime: Present Status and Future Trends

Abstract

Over the years, environmental protection has become one of the top priorities of the politically responsible, ranking second to the task of securing peace.¹ People are increasingly measuring the quality of life by the successes of environmental policy. The preservation of a world in which life is possible has finally attained its rightful position, both among the general public and policymakers.² Furthermore, responsibility mandates that an intact environment worth living in be preserved for future generations. Thus, advance precautions are called for such that environmental damage is checked right at the source and that harm to the environment is permitted only to the degree that it simply cannot be avoided. This is the primary objective of environmental policy.³