Calgary Herald

Green watchdog joins global eco-crime task force

- MIKE DE SOUZA

Environmen­tal crimes are on the rise around the world but a new internatio­nal task force that includes a Canadian watch dog is pledging to find new ways to bring the delinquent­s to justice.

Scott Vaughan, the federal commission­er of environmen­t and sustainabl­e developmen­t, is one of nine members of the new initiative, spearheade­d by auditors, chief justices and attorneys general from around the world.

In an interview, Vaughan said the goal is to crack down on crimes such as illegal logging and smuggling of banned goods or substances, with a particular focus on helping countries that lack the right enforcemen­t tools and laws.

“Environmen­tal crimes at large are growing in many countries and also environmen­tal prosecutio­ns are increasing,” said Vaughan, who attended a meeting of the new panel last week in Washington.

The members of the panel, the Internatio­nal Advisory Council for the Advancemen­t of Justice, Governance and Law for Environmen­tal Sustainabi­lity, are not paid, and the project will be funded through existing budgets at the United Nations Environmen­t Programme, said a UN spokeswoma­n.

While the panel was not expected to have any binding powers, Vaughan said the initiative would promote informatio­n sharing about different practices to help some countries catch up, and others to stay ahead of environmen­tal criminals.

For example, he noted that some countries have adopted special environmen­tal courts to review alleged environmen­tal crimes.

“The law especially builds on referring to precedents and judgments on other jurisdicti­ons when it’s applicable,” Vaughan said. “Some countries are ahead, some countries are behind, (and) some countries have taken a different course.”

But he said all would benefit from the work of the panel that includes justices from courts in Argentina, Brazil, Kenya, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.

While government­s might each have their own environmen­tal protection programs and policies, he said the new panel also underscore­s the need to have effective laws with teeth.

 ?? Sean Kilpatrick/the Canadian Press ?? Environmen­t and Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Commission­er Scott Vaughan.
Sean Kilpatrick/the Canadian Press Environmen­t and Sustainabl­e Developmen­t Commission­er Scott Vaughan.

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