Problems of classification of environmental terrorism

Abstract

Terrorism in all its manifestations is one of the most dangerous illegal phenomena. Despite numerous studies in the field of terrorist crimes, there is no single international definition of terrorism in general and environmental terrorism in particular. Various criteria are used to define “environmental terrorism”, and so it is not yet possible to create a single and comprehensive definition. Currently, there are two main interpretations of this concept. Within the framework of the first, environmentalist organizations fighting for animal rights and against pollution of ecosystems by using violent methods of a criminal nature are classified as ecoterrorist. In the second case, the concept of environmental terrorism is interpreted more broadly and includes acts of intentional harm to the environment in order to achieve certain political and other goals. Moreover, according to the second interpretation, the definition of terrorism, the purpose of which is to damage the environment, is also ambiguous in different countries. This article is explores existing definitions of environmental terrorism and possible criteria for its scholarly classification. The paper presents the author’s classification of types of environmental terrorism. The generalized material of international and domestic studies in the field of radical environmental impact allows us to creating a general and acceptable classification of environmental terrorism for various scientific fields, which will allow us to fully qualify environmental terrorist acts in the future and to develop a common strategy for countering radical environmental impacts.