Conservation of the environment, criminalization and perception of the society

Author(s)

André Camargo Tozadori

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2010-07-20

Examining board members

Silvia Maria Guerra Molina; José Renato Martins; Paulo Sergio Millan

• Advisor: Silvia Maria Guerra Molina

Abstract

The unbridled pursuit of economic growth subjugated the environment. The subsequent destruction of nature in the early twenty-first century is characterised as one of the greatest problems of the human society. The conservation of the environment emerges as a matter of survival for humans. The worldwide spread of this perception began around the 60s and 70s, when the concept of sustainable development was created. The Law, science that should govern the lives of human beings in society, could not remain indifferent to this situation. In Brazil, in 1988, the environment was raised to the constitutional category with the provision for criminal liability for those who offend against the environment, as well as assign the responsibility to defend and preserve it to the community. The main objectives of this study were to determine whether the criminal law has been an effective instrument for protecting the environment, to identify the perception of a stratum of the society with regard to this subject and if that took its responsibility in preserving an ecologically balanced environment. The utilised methodology comprised three distinct and complementary steps. The first step consisted in a theoretical research by studying the literature about the environmental movement and environmental criminal law, the second involved the collection of data from the judiciary in Criminal Environmental cases and the third evaluated the perception of two hundred twenty-three students in all courses of ESALQ-USP and UNIMEP School of Law about the subject, the opinion leaders of the city of Piracicaba/SP population. The theoretical research has shown that the topic is controversial and that the law of environmental crimes (Law n.o 9.605/98) suffers severe criticism. The data collected in the Judiciary, where about eighty cases were analysed, show that the perpetrators of criminal environmental offences benefit from the criminal transaction and conditional suspension of proceedings, provided for in Law n.o 9.099/95. In regards to the perception of the students, they have demonstrated to have the notion that the responsibility for the preservation of an ecologically balanced environment for the present and future generations is a duty of the society in general, and not only of the government. However, their actions, when existent, are individual and, in some cases, conditional on membership of the community. Few declare to seek their political representatives, to contact the environmental agency or to take any action to increase the scope of their actions. This situation limits the performance of the role that the community should take effective in preserving the environment. (AU)