International environmental crimes earn US$ 31 bln

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA News) - International crime syndicates earned US$22-31 billion annually from environmental crimes, one of the most profitable and growing criminal activities after drug trafficking, according to a UNEP coordinator.

"International crime syndicates earn US$22-31 billion annually from hazardous waste dumping, smuggling proscribed hazardous materials, exploiting and trafficking of protected natural resources and illegal trade of Ozone depleting substances (ODS)," Atul Bagai, regional coordinator of the UNEP Regional office for Asia and the Pacific said on the sidelines of UNEP workshops in Sanur, Bali, on Sunday.

"There is a strong link between terrorism and environmental crimes. Terrorists could get a lot of money from the environmental crimes. As environmental crimes are not yet fully addressed, the smugglers take opportunities from these," Atul Bagai said.

Customs officers were mostly not aware of regulations on ODS and hazardous wastes, or unable to identify ODS, hazardous wastes and protected natural resources, he said.

"If you address environmental crimes, you also address terrorism," he said.

UNEP with the cooperation of the Swedish government and the Indonesian Environmental Affairs Ministry organized the First Multilateral Environmental Agreements Enforcement Network Workshop in Sanur, Bali, from November 8 to 10, 2007. The workshop was participated in by representatives from 25 countries mostly from Asia and the Pacific.

The workshop will be followed by the Joint meeting of South East Asia and South Asia Networks of Customs and ODS officers on November 12-14, 2007, also in Sanur.

Meanwhile, Indonesia reported that its Customs officers confiscated 40 metric tons of CFC-11 (Trichloromonofluoromethane atau freon 11) and CFC-12 (Dichlorodifluoromethane) from Tanjung Mas Seaport, Semarang, last October.

The CFC-11 and CFC-12 labelled as HCFC-141b, was imported from Qing Dao Port, China, with Singapore as a transit country, according to Tony Riduan Simorangkir, Head of the Intelligence Section of the Indonesian Customs and Excise Directorate General told participants of a Special Dialogue on Actions for Controlling and monitoring ODS Trade in South Asia and Southeast Asia, organized on the sidelines of UNEP workshop, in Sanur, on Saturday.

Dialog was attended by Indonesian importers of ODS, representatives of ODS producing and exporting countries such as China, India and Korea, ODS shipment transit countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, and implementing agencies of Montreal Protocol`s Multilateral Funds, namely UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO and Bank Dunia.

In the UNEP workshop, Indonesia announced its plan to ban the importation of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and methyl bromide as of January 1, 2008.

Indonesia had taken a big step as it would put the country two years ahead of the 2010 schedule for the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances and seven years ahead of the 2015 schedule for the phase-out of methyl bromide under the Montreal Protocol, Atul Bagai said.