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82-413: Its undercover investigations expose transnational wildlife crime , with a focus on elephants and tigers , and forest crimes such as illegal logging and deforestation for cash crops such as palm oil . It works to safeguard global marine ecosystems by addressing the threats posed by plastic pollution , by-catch and commercial exploitation of whales , dolphins and porpoises . It seeks to reduce

164-637: A decade from the publication of the first Directive, as part of the European Green Deal ,the European Commission submitted a proposal for a new Directive with the aim of strengthening the enforcement and prosecution of environmental crimes through the use of clearer definitions and sanctions other than the typical fines and imprisonment . Abandoned or little used areas are common dumping places in America -especially railroads. Over $ 10 million

246-846: A 2004 case study, a 30-pound cylinder of CFC-12 could be purchased in China for US$ 40 and illegally sold in the US for US$ 600. In 2000, California real estate developer Eric Diesel was sentenced to 6 months in jail and ordered to pay a $ 300,000 fine for grading an illegal road in the Santa Cruz Mountains . In 2023, eBay is accused by the Justice Department of violating environmental laws. The lawsuit states that eBay sold illegal equipment that override pollution controls on motorized vehicles, strictly forbidden products containing banned chemicals, and illegitimate pesticides. eBay Inc. faces legal action from

328-441: A capacity to grow , respond to stimuli , reproduce and, through natural selection , adapt to their environment in successive generations. More complex living organisms can communicate through various means. An ecosystem (also called an environment) is a natural unit consisting of all plants, animals, and micro-organisms ( biotic factors) in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( abiotic ) factors of

410-431: A company owned by directors of EIA. The series, based on EIA's undercover investigation work into the trade in endangered species, showed footage from EIA's undercover filming. The series had seven episodes, each covering a different group of animals like BEARS (01/06/1995), WHALES (25/05/1995), PARROTS (18/05/1995), WALRUS (11/05/1995), RHINOS (04/05/1995), TURTLES (30/03/1995) and MONKEYS (23/02/1995). The series won

492-502: A continuum, from 100% natural in one extreme to 0% natural in the other. The massive environmental changes of humanity in the Anthropocene have fundamentally effected all natural environments including: climate change , biodiversity loss and pollution from plastic and other chemicals in the air and water . More precisely, we can consider the different aspects or components of an environment, and see that their degree of naturalness

574-637: A decreased food supply for the wildlife in an area. The atmosphere of the Earth serves as a key factor in sustaining the planetary ecosystem. The thin layer of gases that envelops the Earth is held in place by the planet's gravity. Dry air consists of 78% nitrogen , 21% oxygen , 1% argon , inert gases and carbon dioxide . The remaining gases are often referred to as trace gases. The atmosphere includes greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Filtered air includes trace amounts of many other chemical compounds . Air also contains

656-656: A federal level, while the EPA oversees the investigations, the prosecutions are typically brought by the U.S. Department of Justice , through its Environmental Crimes Section, and/or through one of the 94 U.S. Attorney's Office across the country. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is part of the Treasury Department which oversees the movement of money involving environmental crimes in the United States. This includes crimes such as illegal logging, fishing, and mining. In

738-441: A major source of failure of US environmental protection legislation was the civil character of federal enforcement actions. Their chief sanction was fines, which many corporations took in stride as a cost of doing business. Environmental criminal law covers a narrower ground. Its core consists of the criminal provisions of eight federal statutes passed mainly in the 1970s and amended in the last two decades. The following are some of

820-586: A number persons, including non-nationals. As a trading hub, Singapore is susceptible to unnoticed contraband. Charles W. Schmidt explains how China sells illegal CFC-12 to the United States through Singapore due to the lack of inspections and confidentiality of private businesses in Singapore. Violations of Russia's environmental protection laws cost the country more than $ 187 million in 2018. Out of nearly 23.9 thousand environmental crimes registered in Russia in 2018,

902-432: A person, company, or other entity to take action to clean up a site or comply. Formal lawsuits are known as civil judicial actions. They are brought before the court against individuals or organizations that have not: obey legislative or regulatory requirements, follow administrative directives, reimburse the EPA for Superfund site cleanup expenses, or pledge to undertake the cleanup. Environmental criminology examines

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984-454: A pond from many other aquatic terrain features, such as stream pools and tide pools . Humans impact the water in different ways such as modifying rivers (through dams and stream channelization ), urbanization and deforestation . These impact lake levels, groundwater conditions, water pollution, thermal pollution, and marine pollution . Humans modify rivers by using direct channel manipulation. We build dams and reservoirs and manipulate

1066-400: A qualitative and quantitative understanding of the principal areas or spheres of Earth. The Earth's crust or lithosphere , is the outermost solid surface of the planet and is chemically, physically and mechanically different from underlying mantle . It has been generated greatly by igneous processes in which magma cools and solidifies to form solid rock. Beneath the lithosphere lies

1148-430: A river is usually in a channel , made up of a stream bed between banks . In larger rivers there is often also a wider floodplain shaped by waters over-topping the channel. Flood plains may be very wide in relation to the size of the river channel. Rivers are a part of the hydrological cycle . Water within a river is generally collected from precipitation through surface runoff , groundwater recharge , springs and

1230-431: A sense of legal duty or public obligation, were disadvantaged and lost a competitive edge and consequently suffered in the marketplace to competitors who disregarded environmental laws and regulations. As a result of weak environmental legislation and continued adverse public opinion regarding the management of the environment, many governments established various environmental enforcement regimes that dramatically increased

1312-507: A variable amount of water vapor and suspensions of water droplets and ice crystals seen as clouds . Many natural substances may be present in tiny amounts in an unfiltered air sample, including dust , pollen and spores , sea spray , volcanic ash and meteoroids . Various industrial pollutants also may be present, such as chlorine (elementary or in compounds), fluorine compounds, elemental mercury , and sulphur compounds such as sulphur dioxide (SO 2 ). The ozone layer of

1394-550: A year are used to remove illegal dumping from polluting towns and the environment. A small organization , CSXT Police Environment Crimes Unit, has been started to stop railroad dumping specifically. Ever since the Environmental Protection Agency 's Office of Criminal Enforcement was founded in 1982, there has been a steady increase in prosecuted environmental crimes. This includes the prosecution of companies that have illegally dumped or caused oil spills . On

1476-436: Is a terrain feature , a body of water that is localized to the bottom of basin . A body of water is considered a lake when it is inland, is not part of an ocean and is larger and deeper than a pond . Natural lakes on Earth are generally found in mountainous areas, rift zones and areas with ongoing or recent glaciation . Other lakes are found in endorheic basins or along the courses of mature rivers. In some parts of

1558-516: Is around 35 parts per thousand (ppt) (3.5%), and nearly all seawater has a salinity in the range of 30 to 38 ppt. Though generally recognized as several separate oceans, these waters comprise one global, interconnected body of salt water often referred to as the World Ocean or global ocean. The deep seabeds are more than half the Earth's surface, and are among the least-modified natural environments. The major oceanic divisions are defined in part by

1640-501: Is called "Command and Control" which are traditional regulatory approaches. In other cases, they may use economic incentive and hybrid-based approaches, which there are two. Moreover, it has increased the need for cooperation between different policing institutions. Environmental law enforcement agencies and police services do not operate in a vacuum; the legislative instruments that political systems implement govern their activities and responsibilities within society. However, ostensibly it

1722-455: Is found in various kinds of natural body of water . An ocean is a major body of saline water and a component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the surface of the Earth (an area of some 362 million square kilometers) is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas . More than half of this area is over 3,000 meters (9,800 ft) deep. Average oceanic salinity

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1804-785: Is from the Old English wildeornes , which in turn derives from wildeor meaning wild beast (wild + deor = beast, deer). From this point of view, it is the wildness of a place that makes it a wilderness. The mere presence or activity of people does not disqualify an area from being "wilderness". Many ecosystems that are, or have been, inhabited or influenced by activities of people may still be considered "wild". This way of looking at wilderness includes areas within which natural processes operate without very noticeable human interference. Wildlife includes all non- domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over

1886-440: Is increasingly rare, wild nature (e.g., unmanaged forests , uncultivated grasslands , wildlife , wildflowers ) can be found in many locations previously inhabited by humans. Goals for the benefit of people and natural systems, commonly expressed by environmental scientists and environmentalists include: In some cultures the term environment is meaningless because there is no separation between people and what they view as

1968-501: Is most often applied to Earth or some parts of Earth. This environment encompasses the interaction of all living species , climate , weather and natural resources that affect human survival and economic activity. The concept of the natural environment can be distinguished as components: In contrast to the natural environment is the built environment . Built environments are where humans have fundamentally transformed landscapes such as urban settings and agricultural land conversion ,

2050-443: Is not uniform. If, for instance, in an agricultural field, the mineralogic composition and the structure of its soil are similar to those of an undisturbed forest soil, but the structure is quite different. Earth science generally recognizes four spheres, the lithosphere , the hydrosphere , the atmosphere and the biosphere as correspondent to rocks , water , air and life respectively. Some scientists include as part of

2132-671: Is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. The atmosphere is a chaotic system , and small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout human history, and there is evidence that civilized human activity such as agriculture and industry has inadvertently modified weather patterns. Evidence suggests that life on Earth has existed for about 3.7 billion years. All known life forms share fundamental molecular mechanisms, and based on these observations, theories on

2214-475: Is the legislative instruments implemented by governments that determine many of the strategies utilized by police services in protecting the environment. Generally these International, Regional, National and State legislative instruments are designed to ensure industries , individuals , and governments comply with the various environmental obligations embedded in national statutes and laws. There are also international legal instruments and treaties that also affect

2296-430: Is the one originally developed by Wladimir Köppen . The Thornthwaite system , in use since 1948, uses evapotranspiration as well as temperature and precipitation information to study animal species diversity and the potential impacts of climate changes . Weather is a set of all the phenomena occurring in a given atmospheric area at a given time . Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere , just below

2378-547: The European Union , the road to an effective enforcement of Environmental Crime legislation has been anything but straightforward. A major role is played by the Environmental Crime Directive, a 2008 instrument aimed at protecting the environment through the use of criminal law . Even though some studies show that there has been a decline in non-compliance with environmental policy by Member States, after over

2460-569: The State Park Peace Officers and State Troopers , and more, play important roles in reducing environmental damage and protecting the environment through environmental laws and regulations. These agencies operate at varying levels from international, regional, national, state to local level keeping one agency working at one level. Various enforcement methods are employed by these agencies to warrant compliance with environmental laws and regulations. In some case's enforcement agencies use what

2542-742: The continents , various archipelagos and other criteria, these divisions are : (in descending order of size) the Pacific Ocean , the Atlantic Ocean , the Indian Ocean , the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean . A river is a natural watercourse , usually freshwater , flowing toward an ocean , a lake , a sea or another river. A few rivers simply flow into the ground and dry up completely without reaching another body of water. The water in

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2624-538: The impact of climate change by campaigning to eliminate refrigerant greenhouse gases , exposing related illicit trade and improving energy efficiency in the cooling sector. The EIA uses its findings in reports to campaign for new legislation, improved governance and more effective enforcement. In addition, its field experience is used to provide guidance to enforcement agencies and it also forms partnerships with local groups and activists, support their work through hands-on training. The EIA's Climate work aims to tackle

2706-408: The mitigation of greenhouse gases that are causing climatic changes, on developing adaptative strategies to global warming, to assist humans, other animal, and plant species, ecosystems, regions and nations in adjusting to the effects of global warming . Some examples of recent collaboration to address climate change and global warming include: A significantly profound challenge is to identify

2788-862: The offenders . Environmental crime does not only affect the land, water, air, it affects the health of children as well. According to an article published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2016, "The evolution and expansion of children's environmental health protection over the past two decades has been remarkable. At the U.S. EPA, significant efforts have been made to address the special susceptibility of children, and our work continues to address emerging environmental concerns to ensure that children's environments are free of hazards and support healthy development." Natural environment The natural environment or natural world encompasses all biotic and abiotic things occurring naturally , meaning in this case not artificial . The term

2870-421: The stratosphere . Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate is the term for the average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time. When used without qualification, "weather" is understood to be the weather of Earth. Weather occurs due to density (temperature and moisture) differences between one place and another. These differences can occur due to

2952-569: The Case Selection Criteria announced in Policy Paper on Case Selection and Prioritization by ICC on 15 September 2016, the Office will give particular consideration to prosecuting Rome Statute crimes that are committed by means of, or that result in, "inter alia, the destruction of the environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources or the illegal dispossession of land". Within

3034-527: The Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys, and the EPA Congress gave the EPA's criminal enforcement program broad law enforcement authority in 1988 after it was founded in 1982. Special agents, detectives, forensic scientists, technicians, attorneys, and support personnel are all employed by the program today. In many cases, particularly corporations found it more cost-effective to continue to pollute more than

3116-551: The EIA " kind of like the FBI of environmental crime". Environmental crime Environmental crime is an illegal act which directly harms the environment . These illegal activities involve the environment, wildlife, biodiversity , and natural resources . International bodies such as, G7 , Interpol , European Union , United Nations Environment Program , United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute , have recognized

3198-518: The Earth's atmosphere plays an important role in reducing the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that reaches the surface. As DNA is readily damaged by UV light, this serves to protect life at the surface. The atmosphere also retains heat during the night, thereby reducing the daily temperature extremes. Earth's atmosphere can be divided into five main layers. These layers are mainly determined by whether temperature increases or decreases with altitude. From highest to lowest, these layers are: Within

3280-565: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants permission. Guam In 2024, Agreement between the United States and the Guam Waterworks Authority requires infrastructure investment in the sewer system. The Settlement Will Handle Notoriety Overflows and Illegal Untreated Sewage Discharges Into Coastal Waters. Today, the Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) and the United States reached a consent decree to enhance

3362-698: The Justice Department for facilitating the sale and delivery of hundreds of thousands of items without authorization, in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and the Clean Air Act (CAA). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed the complaint in federal court in Brooklyn, NY. In 2024, A California Man Was Arrested for Importing Hazardous Greenhouse Gases Into

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3444-757: The Media Natura award for best film, the Brigitte Bardot International Genesis Award (Los Angeles), and the Gold Plaque at the Chicago Documentary Film Festival. In 2007, The US Environmental Protection Agency called the EIA's "investigative work, scientific documentation, and representation at international conventions ...highly effective and successful". In 2008, BBC Wildlife Magazine called EIA "a highly-respected, hard-hitting, dirt-digging organization". Earth Touch called

3526-590: The United States. In defiance of laws meant to limit the use of greenhouse gases and prevent climate change, Michael Hart of San Diego was taken into custody on charges of smuggling greenhouse gasses into the U.S. from Mexico and then retailing them for a profit. Charges pertaining to the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM Act) are being brought in this case for the first time in US history . Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are widely utilized as refrigerants. The AIM Act forbids their importation unless

3608-415: The abiotic constituents of their biotope . A more significant number or variety of species or biological diversity of an ecosystem may contribute to greater resilience of an ecosystem because there are more species present at a location to respond to change and thus "absorb" or reduce its effects. This reduces the effect before the ecosystem's structure changes to a different state. This is not universally

3690-425: The biological manifestation of life is characterized by organization , metabolism , growth , adaptation , response to stimuli and reproduction . Life may also be said to be simply the characteristic state of organisms . In biology , the science of living organisms, "life" is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter , including the capacity for growth, functional activity and

3772-407: The case and there is no proven relationship between the species diversity of an ecosystem and its ability to provide goods and services on a sustainable level. The term ecosystem can also pertain to human-made environments, such as human ecosystems and human-influenced ecosystems. It can describe any situation where there is relationship between living organisms and their environment. Fewer areas on

3854-608: The condition of the GWA's sewer system. The project is expected to cost $ 400 million and address issues such as untreated sewage spills and other violations of the Clean Water Act. Another party to the deal is the Guam government. An example of Ecomafia was Naples waste management where there was illegal dumping in the 1980s. In Nigeria, the establishment of environmental agencies began in 1988 after an incident of dumping of toxic materials in

3936-425: The continual change preceding death. A diverse variety of living organisms (life forms) can be found in the biosphere on Earth, and properties common to these organisms—plants, animals , fungi , protists , archaea , and bacteria —are a carbon - and water-based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information. Living organisms undergo metabolism , maintain homeostasis , possess

4018-522: The country by international waste traders (the infamous Koko incident). Presently, agencies such as the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (Nigeria) are empowered by Nigerian law to regulate the environment sector. This agency works with other organs of the government such as customs, police, military intelligence , etc., and has successfully seized illegally trafficked wildlife products and prosecuted

4100-624: The direction of the rivers and water path. Dams can usefully create reservoirs and hydroelectric power. However, reservoirs and dams may negatively impact the environment and wildlife. Dams stop fish migration and the movement of organisms downstream. Urbanization affects the environment because of deforestation and changing lake levels, groundwater conditions, etc. Deforestation and urbanization go hand in hand. Deforestation may cause flooding, declining stream flow and changes in riverside vegetation. The changing vegetation occurs because when trees cannot get adequate water they start to deteriorate, leading to

4182-459: The effective enforcement of national and international environmental laws and treaties. Interpol began fighting environmental crime in 1992. International criminal gangs and militant groups profit from the plunder of natural resources and these illegal profits are soaring. Terrorism and even civil wars are consequences of environmental crime. According to UNEP and Interpol , in June 2016

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4264-409: The environment. Central to the ecosystem concept is the idea that living organisms are continually engaged in a highly interrelated set of relationships with every other element constituting the environment in which they exist. Eugene Odum , one of the founders of the science of ecology , stated: "Any unit that includes all of the organisms (i.e.: the "community") in a given area interacting with

4346-472: The extinction of natural habitats, which in turn leads to a reduction in wildlife population. The most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (the group of the leading climate scientists in the world) concluded that the earth will warm anywhere from 2.7 to almost 11 degrees Fahrenheit (1.5 to 6 degrees Celsius) between 1990 and 2100. Efforts have been increasingly focused on

4428-586: The five principal layers determined by temperature there are several layers determined by other properties. The dangers of global warming are being increasingly studied by a wide global consortium of scientists. These scientists are increasingly concerned about the potential long-term effects of global warming on our natural environment and on the planet. Of particular concern is how climate change and global warming caused by anthropogenic , or human-made releases of greenhouse gases , most notably carbon dioxide , can act interactively and have adverse effects upon

4510-462: The following environmental crimes: Environmental crime makes up almost a third of crimes committed by organizations such as; corporations , partnerships , unions, trusts , pension funds , and non-profits. It is the fourth largest criminal activity in the world and it is increasing by five to seven percent every year. These crimes are liable for prosecution . Interpol facilitates international police cooperation and assists its member countries in

4592-456: The law allowed and simply pay any associate fines if indeed the corporation was actually found and convicted of violating environmental laws or regulations. Kevin Tomkins believes corporations had a disincentive to comply with environmental laws or regulations as compliance generally raised their operational costs. This was interpreted as many corporations obeying the environmental laws, whether out of

4674-524: The legal powers of environmental investigators. The inclusion of criminal sanctions, significant increases in fines coupled with possible imprisonment of corporate officers changed the face of environmental law enforcement. For example, between 1983 and 1990 the US Department of Justice secured $ 57,358,404.00 in criminal penalties and obtained sentences of imprisonment for 55% of defendants charged with environmental offences. Many environmental agencies like

4756-415: The mantle which is heated by the decay of radioactive elements . The mantle though solid is in a state of rheic convection . This convection process causes the lithospheric plates to move, albeit slowly. The resulting process is known as plate tectonics . Volcanoes result primarily from the melting of subducted crust material or of rising mantle at mid-ocean ridges and mantle plumes . Most water

4838-600: The mid 1980’s and aims to reduce wildlife crime around the world, advocating the dismantling of transnational criminal networks involved in illegal trade, pressing for better legislation and the closure of key markets, advocating improved enforcement techniques and exposing transnational organized criminal networks. Key campaign areas include: As of 2020, EIA UK had 45 employees. EIA UK´s board of Trustees included James Arrandale, Pesh Framjee,Jennifer Lonsdale (founder), Alice Railton, John Stephenson (Chair), Kit Stoner, Paul Townley and Allan Thornton (founder). In 2013, Stichting EIA

4920-524: The natural environment is greatly changed into a simplified human environment. Even acts which seem less extreme, such as building a mud hut or a photovoltaic system in the desert , the modified environment becomes an artificial one. Though many animals build things to provide a better environment for themselves, they are not human, hence beaver dams and the works of mound-building termites are thought of as natural. People cannot find absolutely natural environments on Earth,naturalness usually varies in

5002-410: The natural environmental dynamics in contrast to environmental changes not within natural variances. A common solution is to adapt a static view neglecting natural variances to exist. Methodologically, this view could be defended when looking at processes which change slowly and short time series, while the problem arrives when fast processes turns essential in the object of the study. Climate looks at

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5084-453: The negative impacts of cash crops such as palm oil and exposing key criminal players in the transnational illegal trade in stolen timber . Key campaign areas include: The EIA's Ocean work aims to improve the status of marine wildlife and ecosystems by reducing threats posed by marine plastic pollution , bycatch and commercial exploitation of whales , dolphins and porpoises . Key campaign areas include: EIA's Wildlife work started in

5166-414: The notions of crimes, offences and injurious behaviors against the environment and starts to examine the role that societies including corporations, governments and communities play in generating environmental harms . Criminology is now starting to recognize the impact of humans on the environment and how law enforcement agencies and the judiciary measure harm to the environment and attribute sanctions to

5248-409: The origin of life attempt to find a mechanism explaining the formation of a primordial single cell organism from which all life originates. There are many different hypotheses regarding the path that might have been taken from simple organic molecules via pre-cellular life to protocells and metabolism. Although there is no universal agreement on the definition of life, scientists generally accept that

5330-614: The overwhelming majority were related to; the illegal cutting of forest plantations , amounting approximately to 13.8 thousand cases, and Illegal hunting, with over 1.9 thousand cases observed. The effective enforcement of environmental laws is vital to any protection regimes that are designed to protect the environment. In the early days of environmental legislation, violations carried largely insignificant civil fines and penalties. Initial environmental laws and regulations had little or no deterrent effect on corporations, individuals, or governments to comply with environmental laws. Indeed,

5412-438: The physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to clearly defined trophic structure, biotic diversity, and material cycles (i.e.: exchange of materials between living and nonliving parts) within the system is an ecosystem." The human ecosystem concept is then grounded in the deconstruction of the human/nature dichotomy , and the emergent premise that all species are ecologically integrated with each other, as well as with

5494-400: The planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative. Wildlife can be found in all ecosystems. Deserts, rain forests, plains, and other areas—including the most developed urban sites—all have distinct forms of wildlife. While the term in popular culture usually refers to animals that are untouched by civilized human factors, most scientists agree that wildlife around

5576-415: The planet, its natural environment and humans' existence. It is clear the planet is warming, and warming rapidly. This is due to the greenhouse effect , which is caused by greenhouse gases, which trap heat inside the Earth's atmosphere because of their more complex molecular structure which allows them to vibrate and in turn trap heat and release it back towards the Earth. This warming is also responsible for

5658-424: The pressing threat of climate change by eliminating powerful greenhouse gases used widely in the cooling sector, improving energy efficiency of replacement technologies and investigating the illicit trade in refrigerant greenhouse gases. Key campaign areas include: The EIA's Forests work started in the late 1990´s and aims to reduce global deforestation by advocating improved governance and trade laws, revealing

5740-443: The release of water stored in glaciers and snowpacks. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including stream , creek and brook. Their current is confined within a bed and stream banks . Streams play an important corridor role in connecting fragmented habitats and thus in conserving biodiversity . The study of streams and waterways in general is known as surface hydrology . A lake (from Latin lacus )

5822-627: The spheres of the Earth, the cryosphere (corresponding to ice ) as a distinct portion of the hydrosphere, as well as the pedosphere (to soil ) as an active and intermixed sphere. Earth science (also known as geoscience, the geographical sciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth . There are four major disciplines in earth sciences, namely geography , geology , geophysics and geodesy . These major disciplines use physics , chemistry , biology , chronology and mathematics to build

5904-495: The statistics of temperature , humidity , atmospheric pressure , wind , rainfall , atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elements in a given region over long periods of time. Weather , on the other hand, is the present condition of these same elements over periods up to two weeks. Climates can be classified according to the average and typical ranges of different variables, most commonly temperature and precipitation. The most commonly used classification scheme

5986-434: The sun angle at any particular spot, which varies by latitude from the tropics. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream . Weather systems in the mid-latitudes , such as extratropical cyclones , are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of

6068-775: The surface of the earth today exist free from human contact, although some genuine wilderness areas continue to exist without any forms of human intervention. Global biogeochemical cycles are critical to life, most notably those of water , oxygen , carbon , nitrogen and phosphorus . Wilderness is generally defined as a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. The WILD Foundation goes into more detail, defining wilderness as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet – those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with roads, pipelines or other industrial infrastructure." Wilderness areas and protected parks are considered important for

6150-420: The survival of certain species , ecological studies, conservation , solitude, and recreation . Wilderness is deeply valued for cultural, spiritual, moral , and aesthetic reasons. Some nature writers believe wilderness areas are vital for the human spirit and creativity. The word, "wilderness", derives from the notion of wildness ; in other words that which is not controllable by humans. The word etymology

6232-588: The value of environmental crime is 26 per cent larger than previous estimates, at US$ 91–258 billion, compared to US$ 70–213 billion in 2014, outstripping illegal trade in small arms . More than half of this amount can be attributed to illegal logging and deforestation . In September 2016 it was announced that the International Criminal Court (ICC) located in The Hague will prosecute government and individuals for environmental crimes . According to

6314-437: The way that sovereign states deal with environmental issues . The EPA or a state acting on its own power may take civil administrative actions, which are non-judicial enforcement measures. There is no legal court procedure involved in these acts. An administrative action taken by the state or the EPA could take the following forms: a Superfund notice letter or notice of violation, or an order (with or without fines) instructing

6396-462: The ways that the EPA's criminal enforcement program goes after corporate and individual defendants who have committed major environmental crimes: -Equipped with the necessary proof to pursue environmental offenses, federal, state, and local prosecutors -Technical assessments and environmental forensic analyses for both civil and criminal enforcement -Computerized evidence evaluation and retrieval -Professional legal assistance and recommendations to

6478-411: The world is (now) impacted by human activities. It is the common understanding of natural environment that underlies environmentalism — a broad political , social and philosophical movement that advocates various actions and policies in the interest of protecting what nature remains in the natural environment, or restoring or expanding the role of nature in this environment. While true wilderness

6560-826: The world, there are many lakes because of chaotic drainage patterns left over from the last ice age . All lakes are temporary over geologic time scales, as they will slowly fill in with sediments or spill out of the basin containing them. A pond is a body of standing water , either natural or human-made, that is usually smaller than a lake . A wide variety of human-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens designed for aesthetic ornamentation, fish ponds designed for commercial fish breeding and solar ponds designed to store thermal energy. Ponds and lakes are distinguished from streams by their current speed . While currents in streams are easily observed, ponds and lakes possess thermally driven micro-currents and moderate wind-driven currents. These features distinguish

6642-465: The year. On the Earth's surface, temperatures usually range ±40 °C (100 °F to −40 °F) annually. Over thousands of years, changes in the Earth's orbit have affected the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influenced long-term climate. Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes due to differences in compressional heating. Weather forecasting

6724-583: Was incorporated in The Netherlands but remained dormant. In 2019 EIA UK decided as a consequence of Brexit , to develop Stichting EIA as an office in the Hague focusing on EU and Dutch environmental policy issues. In 1995, Independent Television Network ( ITV ) broadcast a TV series called The Animal Detectives in the UK. The series commissioned by Carlton Television was produced by Goldhawk together with Eco detectives,

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