Public Law Studies Quarterly

The Role of International Organizations in Addressing Environmental Damages and Crimes

Document Type : Article

Authors

Ahmad Momenirad 1
Parichehr Ghanbari 2

1 Associate Professor., Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D. in International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran (Alborz campus), Tehran, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22059/jplsq.2023.345194.3118
Abstract
Alongside the expansion of irreparable, severe, and persistent environmental damage and its impacts, which threaten the fundamental foundations of human life and security, international law is inevitably compelled to utilize its capacities to combat the rise of crimes stemming from pollution and environmental destruction. Given the inadequacy of the regime governing compensation for environmental damage caused by destruction and pollution, serious action by states against environmental crimes is unavoidable. Although the principle of state sovereignty and the prohibition of interference in their territories are fundamental principles of international law, the principle of sovereignty in international environmental law is not absolute and is conditioned on the non-harmful use of land. International documents, such as customary law and international treaties, emphasize the need to combat environmental crimes resulting from destruction and pollution. Therefore, to optimally utilize these documents in implementing international rules and regulations, international organizations and entities—whether arising from the will of states and peoples, international organizations, their affiliated bodies, or even international and regional courts—play a crucial role. This writing examines the performance of the said influential components regarding the existing capacities in customary law and treaties, and even in creating the necessary grounds for states to exercise more effective jurisdiction in combating environmental crimes. It has been determined that these institutions and organizations can provide the necessary foundations for practical action against environmental crimes resulting from destruction and pollution.

Keywords

environmental crimes
protection of the environment
basic human rights
international and institutions organizations
Subjects

  1. English

    1. A) Books
    2. Sollund, R., Stefes, C. H., & Germani, A. R. (Eds.). (2016). Fighting environmental crime in Europe and beyond: The role of the EU and its member states. London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

     

    1. B) Articls
    2. Aoife, N. (2021). Children’s Rights and Clhmate Change at the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: Pragmatism and Principle in Sacchi v Argentina, Available at: www. ejiltalk.org
    3. Anton, D., & Shelton, D. L. (2011). Problems in environmental protection and human rights: A human right to the environment. ANU College of Law Research Paper, 11-17.
    4. Boyd, D. R., & Keene, S. (2021). Policy Brief No. 1 Human rights-based approaches to conserving biodiversity: equitable, effective and imperative
    5. Bodansky, D.(2017). The role of the international court of justice in addressing climate change: Some preliminary reflections. Ariz. St. LJ 49.
    6. Baranwal, S. (2013). Criminal Liability for Environmental Crimes. Journal of Criminal Justice and Security, 11, 574-592.
    7. Christina Voigt (2008). State Responsibility for Climate Change Damages. Nordic Journal of International Law, 77, 1–22.
    8. Clark, P., Liston, G., & Kalpouzos, I. (2020). Climate change and the European Court of Human Rights: The Portuguese Youth Case. Dostupno na: https://www. ejiltalk. org/climate-change-and-the-european-court-of-human-rights-the-portuguese-youth-case/, (4. 2. 2021).
    9. Donna, M. (2021). The Proposed Definition of Crime of Ecocide: AnImportant Step Forward, but Can Our Planet Wait?. Available at: www. ejiltalk.org
    10. Greene, A.. (2018). "The campaign to make ecocide an international crime: quixotic quest or moral imperative". Fordham Envtl. L. Rev., 30, 1.
    11. GiovannyVega-Barbosa,LorraineAboagye, (2018),’ human rights and the protection of the Environment: the Advisory Opinion of the inter-American Court of Human rights’Available at:www. ejiltalk.org
    12. Giulia D’Amico (2021). tackling corruption as an enabler for environmental crime’ Available at: https://globalinitiative.net.
    13. Juan A. (2018). Why is the Inter-American Human Rights System Lagging on Climate Change?. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: January 11, 2018, Available at: www.openglobalrights.org.
    14. Keller, H., & Heri, C. (2022). The Future is Now: Climate Cases Before the ECtHR. Nordic Journal of Human Rights, 1-22.
    15. Lornzo, C., & Bianchi, M. (2016). Fighting Einvironmental Crime in Europe, Preliminary Report, Istituto Affari Internazinall.
    16. Savaresi, A. (2021). The UN HRC recognizes the right to a healthy environment and appoints a new Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change’ Available at: www. ejiltalk.org

     

    1. B) Documents
    2. Draft article on state responsibility with commentaries thereto adopted by the international law commission,1996, part1, chapterIII, Article 19.
    3. UNHCR.2008, Climate Change, Natural Disasters and human displacement perepective, Available at:www.unhcr.org/climate
    4. https://www.fatf-gafi.org/7 December 2021 – Financial Action Task Force (FATF) President Dr. Marcus Pleyer calls for a global push to take the illicit profits out of environmental crimes
    5. https://bigdeliacademy.com/1400/10/09/united-nations-human-rights-council-sinasalimi/
    6. https://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2010/cop16/eng/07a01.pdf
    7. UN, Convention on the Rights of the Child unedited version, CRC/C/88/D/104/2019
    8. Dispute over the Status and Use of the Waters of the Silala (Chile v. Bolivia) Summary of the Judgment of 1 December 2022, Summary 2022/5 1 December 2022, p.28-38

     

    References In Persian:

    1. A) Books
    2. Ziaei Bigdeli, M. (2019). General International Law. Tehran: Ganj Danesh, 62(in Persian (In Persian).
    3. Rebecca Wallace, Olga Martin Ortega (2017). International Law. translated by Seyed Ghasem Zamani, Shahr Danesh, 6th edition (In Persian).
    4. Mosazadeh, R. (2018). International Organizations, Publication of Mizan, 27th edition (In Persian).

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Ahmadnejad.Massoud, Ashkan.Afshang, (2018). The role of the Security Council in opposition with climate change as a threat to international peace and security. International Conference on Society and Environment, 2September 2018, University of Thran (In Persian).
    3. Kazemi Akhavan, M., & Hosseini, T. S., & Bahrampour, F. (2019). Study and Analysis of the Impact of Climate Change on International Security.Quarterly Journal of International Relations Studies, 46, 9-39, DOR:20.1001.1.24234974.1398.12.46.1.4 (In Persian).
    4. Mirabbasi, M. B., & Rezaei, M. R. (2019). International Responsibility of Governments Due to Environmental Destruction in International Armed Conflicts. Journal of Comparative Law Research, 23, 157-135, http://ensani.ir/file/download/article/1567496302-9565-98-2-6 (In Persian).
    5. Pourhashemi, S.A., Taybi, S., & Naderi, S. (2014). International litigation and liability; a tool to deal with non-compliance with climate change commitments. Human and Environment Quarterly, 31, 86-76, https://journals.srbiau.ac.ir/article_7373_18f8ee4729c200ff5692c 802b43e44aa (In Persian).
    6. Momenirad, A., Amirkhani, A., & Timuri, Z. (2016). Protection of Human Environmental Rights in Oil Contracts. Islamic Human Rights Studies Quarterly, 5(11), 113-130, https://ensani.ir/fa/article/378005 (In Persian).
Public Law Studies Quarterly
Volume 55, Issue 3 - Serial Number 43
Autumn 2025
Autumn 2025
Pages 1787-1811

  • Receive Date 30 June 2022
  • Revise Date 12 April 2023
  • Accept Date 26 June 2023

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