WSJ: European Emissions Markets to Reopen Gradually

The Wall Street Journal reports:

European markets for permits to emit carbon dioxide will start reopening in the next week after a shutdown following the dramatic cybertheft of permits valued at tens of millions of euros two weeks ago, EU officials said Tuesday.

The theft, by a ring of hackers who phoned in a bomb threat to the Czech carbon exchange and stole permits during the ensuing confusion, was the latest in a series of security breaches in the market, which has turnover of $100 billion a year. Permits valued at about €28 million ($38 million) were stolen in three European countries, EU officials said. …

Interpol, Europol and national police in several countries say they are continuing to recover stolen permits, but questions remain about the security of the registries where transaction records are kept for each of the 30 national markets.

Markets in Germany, France, the Netherlands and the U.K. are expected to be first to restart trading, but it remains unclear how much longer other registries will remain closed. Traders expressed concerns over the further market disruption caused by Germany’s canceling of its Tuesday spot auction because some security issues hadn’t yet been resolved.

The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm, says the markets can only reopen once it has certified their security systems. But delays in writing and testing the software have extended the time frame, and some countries might not be ready to restart trading for several months, EU officials said.

 

 

Nigeria Workshop Explores Role of Civil Society in Environmental Governance

From The Nation

The Director-General, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA), Dr. Ngeri Benebo, has said addressing environmental degradation requires collective efforts.

She stated this at the zonal workshop for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and NESREA Green Corps (NGCs) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Benebo noted that the people’s actions and inactions could bring about series of environmental degradation, ranging from pollution of air, land, water, to loss of biodiversity, stressing that the people were both culprits and victims of the situation.

She said: “As government, private sector, NGOs, civil society, individuals and the general public, we all have responsibility in protecting the environment and ensuring sustainable development. The government cannot tackle these problems alone. Everyone of us, irrespective of our gender, class or creed, is a stakeholder in our national efforts to protect the environment and achieve sustainable development.”

…

Benebo stressed that civil society organisations could meaningfully contribute to environmental governance by focusing attention on issues which would inform and alert citizens on environmental crimes, thereby improving the quality of public compliance to environmental policies and regulations.

She noted that at state, federal and international levels, the civil society organisations had played key roles in the protection of the environment and in the promotion of sustainable development.

Full article: The Nation

Vietnam Reports Increase in Environmental Violations

An article in the Viet Nam news published on 10 January 2011 summarizes findings from a report on detections made by the environmental crime police in 2010.

The number of violations of environmental law increased by 43 per cent in 2010 compared to 2009, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

The Environmental Crime Prevention and Fighting Police Department said there were more than 6,500 violations of the Environmental Law nationwide, and 88 of them resulted in lawsuits.

Areas for concern highlighted in the article included discharged untreated wastewater and hazardous gas (22% of all violations), rubbish treatment dump areas, and the import of  industrial waste from other countries. The article reports that “[i]n Hai Phong alone, authorities have discovered hundreds of containers of imported garbage, including radioactive materials. Collection and transport, as well as illegal treatment of hazardous waste, such as old lead batteries, waste sludge and waste from metal ore, have occurred in some localities.”

The article reports that “total fines were more than VND52 billion (US$2.6 million)” and that “[a]ccording to department leaders, violators’ methods have become more and more sophisticated, causing difficulties in enforcement.”

The full article is available from the website of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment.

New Illegal Logging and Environmental Crime Network Launches in Southern Europe

Stumps from Illegally Harvested Trees in Hungary

On 24-25 November 2010, the Regional Environment Center (REC) launched a new environmental compliance and enforcement network, Themis, which is dedicated to responding to illegal logging and other environmental crime in South Eastern European countries (SEE) and the Ukraine.

Themis, which will convene under the INECE banner, will be an informal network of national authorities responsible for natural resource management and protection working towards the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental law in the SEE.

Illegal logging is frequently associated with organized crime, with breakdowns in institutional controls, and with ineffective institutions. Illegal trade in forest resources can increase tensions across borders and with the international community. The effects of illegal logging are wide ranging and include loss of habitats and biodiversity; the erosion and degradation of river basins and water quality; land degradation; desertification and climate change; social disruption; and economic impacts on tourism, recreation and communities with traditional lifestyles.

During the launching conference in Budapest, eight countries committed to participating in the network, with support from international organizations including Interpol, TRAFFIC, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and INECE.

The Belgian Federal Government, the Canadian International Development Agency, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland are  providing funding for the network.

Additional information about the activities of the Themis network is available online at http://illegallogging.rec.org.

Joint WCO/UNEP Operation Nets Large Haul of Ozone Depleting Substances

Click the logos above for the Project Sky-hole Patching Information Brochure (pdf)

A joint global Customs enforcement operation initiated by the World Customs Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and code-named “Sky-hole Patching II” led to the confiscation of more than 7,500 cylinders of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons), and other ozone depleting substances.

Totalling over 108 tonnes of ozone depleting substances (ODS) and 668 pieces of equipment containing ODS, each of these man-made chemicals is linked to the rapid depletion of the ozone layer and all have been either banned or subject to strict controls under the terms of the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer.

“This global operation by Customs in partnership with the WCO and UNEP which hauled in spectacular quantities of illegal ODS clearly demonstrates the success of this tripartite alliance against this dangerous trade and the organized criminal gangs who profit from it,” said Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO. “We cannot allow goods that threaten the health and safety of world citizens, which contribute to global warming and inevitably to negative climate change, and which damage the environment – perhaps more far-reaching than what is estimated – to circulate the globe without taking serious action,” Mikuriya added. “I can only commend all those who took part in this project and urge Customs and their partners to continue their enforcement efforts to secure our borders from all forms of illegal and illicit trade,” concluded the Secretary General.

INTERPOL Operation Targets Illegal Trade in Endangered Reptiles

Sea Turtle, Photo credit Yannick Beadoin

INTERPOL reports that

A worldwide operation co-ordinated by INTERPOL and involving 51 countries across all five continents against the illegal trade in reptiles and amphibians has resulted in arrests worldwide and the seizure of thousands of animals as well as of products worth more than 25 million Euros.

Including national wildlife enforcement authorities, police, customs and specialized units from participating countries, Operation RAMP (September – October) focused particularly on illegal activities relating to the trade and possession of endangered reptiles such as turtles and snakes which included Boa constrictors. The operation resulted in thousands of searches and inspections being conducted, and saw hundreds of suspects being investigated or charged as part of an on-going series of investigations. The goods seized included leather products, and illicit firearms and drugs were also uncovered.

During the two month-long operation, which led to investigations into individuals and companies as well as inspections of premises such as seaports and wholesalers, INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Programme unit acted as a key operational communications and intelligence centre, facilitating the exchange of information between the world police body’s member countries participating in the operation.

For the full report, see http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2010/PR089.asp

WRI Looks at “Insights from Another Lacey Case”

The World Resources Institute published a short article, Declarations and Due Care: Insights from Another Lacey Case, which looks at a recent enforcement action under the U.S. Lacey Act, a demand-side regulation designed to control illegal logging.  The article presents six recommendations to help companies stay in compliance.

For the WRI article, click Declarations and Due Care: Insights from Another Lacey Case. Declaraciones y el Concepto de “Debido Cuidado”: Lecciones de Otro Caso Lacey también está disponible en español (desplácese hacia abajo la página).

For background on the Lacey Act’s amendment to include illegal logging, see INECE’s article, The U.S. Lacey Act Will Help Protect Forests Worldwide.

Out of the Maze: Montreal Protocol, Climate Benefits and the Green Economy

A Special Edition of the OzonAction Newsletter, Out of the Maze: Montreal Protocol, Climate Benefits and the Green Economy [large pdf], features 15 articles that profile aspects of the success of the Montreal Protocol and “lessons it holds for the global environment agreements of today.” Themes of the publication include: the “wider benefits” of the Montreal Protocol with respect to climate change, the relationship between ozone depletion and biodiversity loss, the benefits of the Protocol to supporting the green economy, and country lessons from implementing aspects of the agreement.

The Newsletter contains a feature on illegal trade in ozone depleting substances, “Resurgence of Trade in Ozone-Depleting Substances – HCFCs this Time,” by EIA President Allan Thornton, which explores how the “lessons learned from combating illegal trade in CFCs [can] be applied to ensure that the growing illicit trade in HCFCs is stopped.”

The Newsletter also features an article by Stephen O. Andersen, K. Madhava Sarma, and INECE Secretariat Director Durwood Zaelke,  “The Montreal Protocol Can Deliver Fast Action on Climate,” which calls for the use of “our best-performing institution – the Montreal Protocol – to take fast action to reduce threats to the climate and buy time for a strong multilateral agreement focused on carbon dioxide.”

INECE Recognizes Global Enforcement Challenges at Interpol Crime Conference

INECE Secretariat Managing Director Ken Markowitz delivered remarks at the 7th Interpol Environmental Crime Conference on 15 September in Lyon, France, on compliance and enforcement responses to global environmental challenges, the importance of informal communication and collaboration, and the role of enforcement cooperation for deterrence.

Of interest to INECE’s Seaport Environmental Security Network, Mr. Hui Fu of the WCO delivered remarks on “Moving Toward New Era of Combating Environmental Crime.” The keynote remarks of Environment Agency Chairman Lord Chris Smith focused on the challenge of electronic waste and possible responses from the global environmental enforcement community.

Speakers also discussed the issue of non-compliance in the carbon markets, including Mr. Mark Schapiro (Senior Correspondent, Center for Investigative Reporting) and Michelle Chan (Friends of the Earth). Roz Reeve’s (Global Witness) remarks focused on the challenges and risks of REDD+.

Interpol is updating the Environmental Crime Programme webpage to provide access to presentations, conference guest lists, and other related topics. See http://www.interpol.int/Public/EnvironmentalCrime/Meetings/7thConference/Default.asp.

Europe urged to share intelligence on WEEE exports

Environment Agency chair, Chris Smith, called for a European alliance to tackle the illegal export of WEEE waste to Africa, in a speech to international police force Interpol in Lyon.

For a report on Lord Smith’s remarks, access the article  Europe urged to share intelligence on WEEE exports.