Criminal Marine Pollution - findings from UNODC's first ever Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment

• In Event: Crimes that Affect the Environment - the Research of UNODC

Abstract

The unprecedented triple planetary crises that Earth is facing—climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution—threatens the provision of these vital ecosystem services, the marine economy, and life on Earth. Pollution, understood as the indirect or direct alteration of the properties of the environment in such a way that it creates a hazard or potential hazard to the health, safety, or welfare of living beings, is evident everywhere. In the marine environment, pollution can originate from land, air, or at sea itself. Criminal marine pollution refers to pollution of the marine environment that is criminal in nature, meaning that it is undertaken in contravention of national or international legal frameworks. This type of crime that affects the environment is typically fueled by two major fundamental elements—the opportunity for perpetrators to obtain very high economic benefits, and the simultaneous very low risk of being caught. This presentation shares the findings of a dedicated chapter in the Research and Trend Analysis Branch of UNODC’s Global Analysis on Crimes that Affect the Environment which explored the nature and scope of criminal marine pollution. This included uncovering who, what, where, when, why and how criminal marine pollution takes place. The aim is to provide an evidence base to underpin improved policy and enforcement responses.

Author

• Tanya Wyatt, UNODC