Abstract:

In China, the fast economic growth leads to a fast ore resources depletion, short water resource, and a severe environmental pollution arising from industry and agriculture, which has been a key point in people’s life quality and economic development. China has established relatively sound environmental protection laws, however, they are not effectively proceeded in practice. The criminal law is a last choice, but it has a big default in environmental pollution. In order to protect environment and to meet people’s human rights, it is necessary to enlarge the covers of the criminal law in environmental pollution in a right time. At the same time, the essential base is from the severe social harm of environmental pollution. “The last choice” is a precondition to make and apply the environmental criminal law.

Key words: environmental pollution, pollution control, essential concept of criminal law, social harm

摘要：

在我国，经济快速发展带来的不可再生资源迅速枯竭、水资源匮乏等环境问题日渐突出，工农业生产造成的环境污染也到了极其严重的程度，环境问题已经成为制约提高国民生活质量、经济发展进程的关键。虽然我国已经建立了较为完备的基本环境保护法律制度，但基本环境保护法律制度并未充分有效地保护环境、遏制环境的进一步恶化，强化刑法保护环境的力度是不得已的选择。我国刑法在环境污染犯罪方面的规定存在严重缺陷。为了保护环境、丰富和发展全体公民基本人权的实质需要，必须适当扩大刑法关于环境污染犯罪的覆盖面，但同时又必须坚持环境污染行为的严重社会危害性是制定、适用刑法规范的实质根据；“迫不得已”是制定、适用环境刑法规范的前提。

关键词: 环境污染, 污染控制, 实质刑法观, 社会危害性