Page 227 - Supplemento 2-2016 (ENG)

Tackling Environmental Crime throUgh standardized Methodologies

has been accused of anthropocentrism. It is easy to understand that his ency-
clical becomes groundbreaking in a supportive and holistic approach to the use
of the environment and how it has captivated even the reluctant Anglo-Saxon
cultures. I go back to the core issue of our discussion.

Modern States must create legislative and effective instruments suppor-
ting models of economic development which would take into account the pro-
tection of the environment. This is no longer an option: it is, rather, essential
for a credible political proposal.

Protection and development: two sides of the same coin.
In Italy the operative development in the field of environment protection
is finding a solution in the merger of the State Forestry Department with the
Carabinieri Corps: an exemplary solution from a legal point of view. Carabinieri
Corps and State Forestry Department are the two Police Forces handling envi-
ronmental issues. In addition, Carabinieri Corps and State Forestry Department
have thousands of branches spread all over the country.
Such a widespread presence, not only will allow a more intense surveillan-
ce on the environment but will represent, from today, an educational and beha-
vioural landmark which considers prevention as an accessory to repression.
In addition, in light of the current spending review for the merger of the
peripheral structures of the public administration, a solid and reorganised pre-
sence of Carabinieri and State Forestry Department, reaches a value which
goes beyond security and environment. It’s a complement to the social side of
people in in such a way that there is a contraction of intermediate societies: the
presence of the State through the Carabinieri Corps and the Forestry
Department represents also a strong political statement. It is a very clear sign
that the State is not abandoning its periphery, its territory.
However, there are other considerations which should be highlighted and
that can transform this difficult, epoch-making step into a transaction high in
its strategic and cultural value. Let’s deal with the most critical aspects of the
environmental issue: they have a supranational value.
It’s evident, let me make this clear that, as we heard from yesterday and
today’s speeches, the increase in temperatures, the illegal trafficking of waste, the
sophistication of food, the trafficking of endangered plants and animals, the pol-

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