International criminal law as an instrument of environmental protection

International Criminal Law as an Instrument of Environmental Protection The aim of this thesis is to explore the potential of the international criminal law as an instrument for solving global environmental problems, which would enable better implementation of international environmental legal norms. The first chapter provides an outline of core ideas and concepts, which originate from the understanding of the international criminal law as an ultima ratio instrument for safeguarding the international security and the health of humankind, i.e. the identical values that have been seriously threatened by the global environmental crisis at the beginning of the 21st century. The second chapter elaborates on the international environmental protection in times of peace, with emphasis on the non-existence of effective responsibility mechanisms, which would oblige states and private entities to adhere to general international environmental norms. For the most severe cases of failure to adhere to said norms, the future use of the international criminal law is being proposed. The third chapter comments on the international protection of the environment at times of war and armed conflicts, which is, contrary to times of peace, at least partly embedded in the existing norms of the international criminal law;..