Storm chase: Gaps in the implementation of environmental laws

Tropical countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan have all been devastated by super typhoon Haiyan. Considered the strongest typhoon in modern history, Haiyan claimed thousands of lives and destroyed properties while displacing almost a million people. With damages still being assessed toward completion, environmentalists and government institutions are scrutinizing how climate change, destructive environmental activities, and the effectivity of existing environmental laws influence the scale of natural disasters.

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As storm surges cause more relocations, extensive risk management coordination, and more challenging physical and psychological rehabilitation of those affected, caring for the environment has emerged as an urgent and specific platform for rebuilding, adaptation, and developing resilience to natural hazards. The United Nations Environment Programme, through its Division of Environmental Law and Conventions (DELC), has been working globally in an effort to address particular environmental issues.

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The DELC employs Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) that work collaboratively with national legislations or customary environmental laws. Participating countries already have established environmental laws, with amendments per recommendation, but several factors create a gap among the mission, the vision, and the targeted action. These factors include exceedingly high costs or standards, poor networking design by the implementing agency, and utilizing complex processes that can require long periods of time for complete implementation.

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Countries have translated a diverse range of environmental protection and preservation measures into laws and acts for the purpose of providing a safe and sustainable environment for people to live in. Global collaboration may be evident during conventions and conferences, but it is at the local level that implementation, accountability, compliance, and enforcement of environmental laws could be effective.

Martha Pacheco Machado de Araujo spent the past several years working on international investigations that aimed to curtail, if not obliterate, environmental crimes. Learn more about her work here.