American fines and Israel's "green" police. How to protect Ukraine's environment
Leading countries of the world care about their ecology not with slogans about good intentions, but with strict discipline and fostering a culture of responsibility before the law
The State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine is primarily called upon to control the implementation of environmental legislation. This includes inspections of enterprises and monitoring of the environment, where an ecolaboratory plays an important role, conducting sample analysis and helping to identify violations. And like any control institution, the SEI is criticized for, allegedly, the repressive nature of its activities. However, there are no repressions on our part, only strict adherence to the letter of the law. The SEI naturally cannot please everyone, especially those it inspects, as well as those in whom it finds violations. It is from there that powerful impulses of criticism come, even reaching demands to dissolve the Inspectorate as a relic of the Soviet management system.
However, these passionate critics simply want to be given a free hand regarding ecology, and they would continue to pollute rivers, cut down forests, dump tons of dirt into the air, and breed illegal landfills without problems. The meaning of the state's existence is precisely to protect the environmental resources common to all citizens, on which our tomorrow depends. And in countries where there has never been Soviet power, analogues of the SEI successfully operate, possessing even greater powers and capabilities.
In Israel, the environmental state service exists in the form of the so-called "green" police. It was created in 1990 on the basis of the environmental patrol of the Ministry of Ecology, and is now a division of the ministry. Its inspectors have the right to demand documents, take samples and make measurements, enter any object or vehicle, interrogate suspects, seize items, conduct searches, fine, open criminal proceedings, issue orders. The "green" police practice planned and sudden inspections, as well as special operations against violators.
The fines applied by the "green" police of Israel painfully hit the pockets of those who pollute the environment. For example, for spilling used oils, a garage owner is fined almost $900, for illegal operation of a gas station - $82 thousand, for illegal burning of garbage by a large enterprise - $240 thousand.
In England, the analogue of the SEI is the Environment Agency (EA) under the relevant ministry. It was created in 1996, and its headquarters were located in Bristol, which today is one of the most environmentally safe cities in Great Britain. Unlike the "green" police of Israel, the EA is not only a controlling but also a permitting body, which is characteristic of the European model of functioning of such institutions. The Agency issues permits for emissions or other activities that may lead to environmental pollution. The lion's share of the EA's budget goes to flood prevention, which is one of its most important functions. The Environment Agency conducts inspections of facilities that may threaten the environment, and in case of violations, issues warnings, imposes fines or sues the violator. Environmental fines imposed in England are very high. Over the past 5 years, the average fine imposed by the court at the Agency's request has increased sixfold to 147.5 thousand pounds sterling. Also, the EA can suspend the operation of an enterprise by its decision until it eliminates the causes of pollution.
Similar environmental agencies operate in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.
Finally, in the USA, along with local environmental control services, a federal organization operates - the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was created in 1970 at the initiative of President Richard Nixon. The Agency monitors compliance with national environmental standards, monitors the implementation of environmental protection functions by states, monitors industrial enterprises to ensure the safety of harmful emissions. The EPA has the right to send notices of violations, orders with or without fines, file lawsuits against legal and physical entities. In 2019 alone, the US Environmental Protection Agency achieved voluntary elimination of violations at 1900 facilities, $4.4 billion in investments in enterprise modernization to strengthen their environmental safety, collection of $472 million in fines, and initiated 170 criminal cases. The range of fines imposed by the Agency is quite wide: for air pollution up to $356 thousand, for drinking water pollution - up to $1.3 million, for land depletion - up to $93.7 thousand. Like the EA in England, the EPA has powerful permitting functions - it provides permits for the use of hazardous substances, for waste disposal, for air emissions, etc.
Therefore, the leading countries of the world care about their ecology not with slogans about good intentions, but with strict discipline and fostering a culture of responsibility before the law. I think Ukraine should emulate the best examples to stop the degradation of the ecosystem and begin its restoration. This is a long process for decades, but we need to start now, because the challenges - global and local - do not give us time to delay.
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