Addressing the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
By: Steven Freeland
Series: Series Supranational criminal law, capita selecta -- volume 18; Series Supranational criminal law -- v.18.
Publisher: Intersentia
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Cambridge, United Kingdom
Language: eng
Number of pages: 353
ISBN-13: 9781780683140
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Environmental degradation; War (International law); International criminal law; International Environmental law; Environmental aspects; War; Offenses against the environment
Description: Acts perpetrated during the course of warfare have, through the ages, led to significant environmental destruction. These have included situations where the natural environment has intentionally been targeted as a 'victim', or has somehow been manipulated to serve as a 'weapon' of warfare. Until recently, such acts were generally regarded as an unfortunate but unavoidable element of armed conflict, despite their potentially disastrous impacts. The existing international rules have largely been ineffective and inappropriate, and have in practical terms done little to deter deliberate environmental destruction, particularly when measured against perceived military advantages. However, as the significance of the environment has come to be more widely understood and recognised, this is no longer acceptable, particularly given the ongoing development of weapons capable of widespread and significant damage. This book therefore examines the current international legal regime relevant to the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare, and argues that such acts should, in appropriate circumstances, be recognised as an international crime and should be subject to more effective rules giving rise to international criminal responsibility. It also suggests a framework within the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as to how this might be achieved.
Notes: Revision of the author's thesis (Ph. D.) - University of Maastricht.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-351).
Table of contents: title: The imperative to regulate the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare under international criminal law; title: Regulation of the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare under treaty law; title: Regulation of the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare under customary international law; title: Regulation of the intentional destruction of the environment during warfare under the existing Rome Statute regime; title: Incorporating crimes against the environment into the Rome Statute.