Inside the Struggle to Enforce Environmental Laws Across Borders

Explore the challenges of enforcing environmental laws across borders, from illegal waste trade to wildlife trafficking, and discover how global cooperation and technology are reshaping environmental governance.

Written by Warrence Oghenevwegba

Published On: July 6, 2025, 10:01 P.M

In a world where pollution knows no passport and climate change respects no boundary, enforcing environmental laws has become one of the most pressing global challenges of our time.

But how do you uphold environmental justice in a world where borders divide responsibility while ecosystems remain tragically united in their vulnerability?

The idea of transboundary environmental governance sounds noble in theory: nations working together to protect the planet from shared threats. Yet, in practice, it's a maze of conflicting interests, weak enforcement, and legal loopholes. While international treaties like the Paris Agreement and the Basel Convention aim to align countries on environmental action, actual enforcement, especially across borders, is a different beast entirely.

Let’s zoom into a real-world scenario. The illegal shipment of hazardous waste from developed countries to developing nations remains a persistent issue, despite the Basel Convention’s clear prohibition. In 2021, a European country was found to have exported tons of electronic waste, containing heavy metals and toxic components, to parts of West Africa under the guise of “second-hand electronics.” This not only violated international law but also burdened receiving nations with health and environmental risks they weren’t equipped to handle.

This isn’t an isolated case. Illegal logging in the Amazon often involves timber traffickers transporting lumber across national boundaries to bypass strict regulations. Despite efforts like the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan by the EU, gaps in coordination and jurisdictional authority make cross-border prosecution almost impossible. The trees fall silently while the laws fall short.

Why is enforcement so difficult?

First, there’s the problem of jurisdiction. Environmental crimes often involve actors from multiple countries: a company registered in one country operating in another, using raw materials sourced from a third. Whose court has the final say? More often than not, the answer is no one’s. National sovereignty limits how far one country can reach to hold offenders accountable in another.

Second, disparities in legal frameworks make cooperation tricky. One nation’s definition of “environmental crime” may be another’s “gray area.” Without harmonized legal standards, there’s room for exploitation. Some corporations exploit these inconsistencies through "pollution havens," relocating high-emission operations to countries with lax environmental regulations.

Third, corruption and weak institutional capacity in some regions create fertile ground for environmental violations. According to INTERPOL and the UN Environment Programme, environmental crime is now the world’s third most lucrative criminal enterprise, worth up to 258 billion dollars annually. From illegal mining to wildlife trafficking, transnational syndicates operate with confidence, knowing enforcement is often reactive, not proactive.

But there is hope.

Collaborative platforms like the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) are working to strengthen cross-border coordination. Similarly, INTERPOL’s Environmental Security Programme supports national enforcement agencies with intelligence sharing and joint operations. In 2023, Operation Thunderbolt, a coordinated international campaign, led to the seizure of over 1,000 wildlife products and the arrest of hundreds of suspects across continents. It was a reminder that unified action is possible when political will aligns with environmental urgency.

Technology is also playing a growing role. Satellite monitoring, blockchain traceability for raw materials, and AI-driven tracking systems are helping close the gaps that criminals once exploited with ease. For instance, Global Fishing Watch uses satellite data to monitor illegal fishing activity in international waters, a critical step in protecting marine biodiversity.

Yet, these tools are only as effective as the policies and partnerships that back them. Building a culture of environmental accountability requires more than treaties and technology. It demands trust, transparency, and sustained political engagement. Countries must be willing to not just sign agreements, but enforce them, even when it means challenging economic or political allies.

Education and public pressure matter too. When citizens demand transparency, corporations and governments are more likely to act responsibly. The global rise in environmental activism, from Fridays for Future to the legal victories of climate litigants, proves that people power can nudge institutions toward integrity.

The path to strong cross-border environmental enforcement is long and winding, but not impossible. It begins with a shared understanding that nature doesn’t recognize national lines, and neither should the laws that protect it.

So, as we confront pollution that floats from one coast to another and species that migrate across continents, one must ask: can we truly protect the planet without tearing down the walls that divide our responsibility?

Or better yet. what’s stopping us?