From Monkeywrenching to Mass Destruction: Eco-sabotage and the American West

摘要

The use of terrorism to bring about political change is not a new concept and there are numerous Acts and Statutes designed to criminally punish those found responsible. Environmental terrorism should be included under these laws as the presence of environmental components in these crimes merely represents a tool the terrorist has chosen. Eco-terrorism, though often compared and referred to as environmental terrorism, should be viewed as a distinct and separate criminal issue. Attempts to use the two terms interchangeably are misguided. The distinction between environmental terrorism and eco-terrorism should be made clear and a more aptly descriptive term should replace eco-terrorism. Rather than prosecute acts of eco-terrorism under traditional, criminal laws established for geopolitically or ideologically based terrorism, a better solution would be to focus on existing criminal sanctions, available environmental law and addressing the underlying environmental issues. Through removing the eco-terrorist's concerns over environmental degradation or damage, we may find both a decrease in the number of destructive acts as well as an improvement in overall environmental quality.