Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL CRIME - WHAT CAN BE DONE?

Environmental Crime - What can be done? What comes to mind when one hears the date March 23rd, 1989? Could it be a loved one’s birthday or the date of someone’s death? Maybe the date is a special date because it is the day you or someone you know got married. All of these could be correct; however March 23rd, 1989 is also the date that began one of the worst environmental crimes in history. On this date, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 10.8 million gallons of unrefined Alaskan crude oil into the sea off the coast of the Prince William Sound. Thousands of animals died immediately, of that included an estimated 250,000 '' 500,000 seabirds, 2,800 - 5,000 sea otters, as well as the destruction of billions of salmon and herring eggs. In addition to the loss of wildlife, the residents of Prince William Sound lost their livelihoods because of the spill. Yes, until that date, the United States paid little attention to protecting the environment or the consequences of environmental crime. In fact, for the first half of the 20th century, Americans simply believed the environment and its resources were to be used to build a mighty industrial nation with large cities and also to create the world’s most productive agricultural system. Environmental crime has become a serious issue and problem in the United States. This is true despite the fact that the immediate consequences of environmental crimes may not be as obvious or severe as what occurred during the Exxon Valdez oil spill. The fact remains; environmental crimes do and continue to have victims and the cost is considerable when looking at the long-term effects, whether those effects are illnesses, injury, or even death. Environmental crime can be defined as “an act committed with the intent to harm or with a potential to cause harm to ecological and/or biological systems and for the purpose of securing business,”(Black Colour 1997).

Reference
Black Colour 1 (1997). Chapter 9: Environmental Crime. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from http://www.oup.com/uk/orc/bin/9780199260560/bell_ch09.pdf