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36 Colum. J. Envtl. L. 195 (2011)
The Problem of an International Criminal Law of the Environment

handle is hein.journals/cjel36 and id is 199 raw text is: The Problem of an International Criminal Law of the Environment Frederic M6gret, Ph.D.* Introduction ...................................... .......195 I. Impediments to the Emergence of a Comprehensive International Criminal Law of the Environment .............................204 A. Limitations Due to the Nature of the System: International Law..204 B. Limitations Due to the Nature of the Protected Interest: The Environment.................................... ......212 C. Limitations Due to the Preferred Regulatory Framework: International Environmental Law......... ......... ..........217 D. Limitations Due to the Nature of the Project: The Criminal Law ............................. ...................221 II. The Potential for a Comprehensive International Criminal Law of the Environment ................................... .....226 A. Arguments in Favor of Criminalization ............ ........227 B. Arguments in Favor of Internationalization .................237 C. Arguments in favor of International Criminalization .....................243 III. Possible Future Developments for an International Environmental Criminal Law ..........................................247 IV. Conclusion. ................................ ...........254 INTRODUCTION The disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may yet provoke a renewed interest in the possibility of criminal charges for grievous harm to the environment. So far, the issue has been raised mostly in the United States and from a predominantly domestic perspective.' This is perhaps a reflection of the fact that * Fr6deric Megret is a Professor at the Faculty of Law of McGill University and the Canada Research Chair in the Law of Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. He holds a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne and the Graduate Institute of International Studies of the University of Geneva, an LL.B. from King's College London, and a degree in international relations from Sciences Po. 1. See, e.g., Eric Holder, Attorney Gen., U.S. Dep't of Justice, Attorney General Eric Holder on Gulf Oil Spill (June 1, 2010) (transcript available at http://www.justice.gov/ 195