Environmental damage
An environmental damage , according to European law, one of human outgoing damage to protected species and the conservation status of natural habitats for water and soil . Environmental damage through industrial accidents , breakdowns and other accidents are triggered. In a broader sense, indirect effects, for example climate change triggered by emissions , can also lead to environmental damage. Multiple environmental damage can also accumulate into environmental disasters and achieve the appearance of natural disasters .
In colloquial terms, environmental degradation is the term used to describe processes that cause major environmental damage. Environmental degradation can occur directly through large-scale interventions (e.g. the cutting down of rainforest ) or indirectly through the consequences of environmental pollution , e.g. B. pollution arise.
To cover such damage beyond the risk for insurers and reinsurers covered by building insurance or vehicle insurance , work is therefore being carried out on models for catastrophe insurance .
The EC Directive 2004/35 / EC of April 2004 obliged the EU member states to bring legal provisions into force by April 30, 2007 at the latest, which regulate the liability of those responsible for environmental damage or for its remediation ( Environmental Damage Act ). However, this regulation does not apply in general, but is limited to certain systems and pollutants. Further restrictions concern, for example, the exclusion of environmental damage from nuclear energy , insofar as it falls within the remit of the European Atomic Energy Community , e.g. B. Nuclear Power Plants . The person responsible for damages does not apply to private parties, but only to the public sector.
In Germany, the risk of causing environmental damage can be covered by environmental liability insurance or environmental damage insurance .
- Environmental crime is the illegal , i.e. unlawful, causing of environmental damage
- External costs as environmental damage play a role in the environmental and economic accounts
- Market economy elements such as eco taxes are used to reduce environmental damage
- The double dividend hypothesis means the double use of incentive taxes to prevent environmental damage.
See also
literature
- Peter Salje , Jörg Peter: Environmental Liability Act (UmweltHG) . Comment. 2., completely revised Edition. CH Beck, Munich 2004, ISBN 978-3-406-45847-7 .
- Bernd Söhnlein / Andreas Lukas: Practical Guide to Environmental Damage Law , 1st edition, self-published by IDUR , Frankfurt 2013.
Web links
- Directive 2004/35 / EC (PDF)on environmental liability for the prevention and remediation of environmental damage
- German Environmental Damage Act - USchadG of May 10, 2007 (implementation of the above-mentioned Directive 2004/35 / EC)
