Damage is the result of damage (harm, harm, causing harm). Environmental damage, on the other hand, is that linked to the environment or specifically, in some cases, to the environment (the natural circumstances surrounding a living being).
The idea of environmental damage, therefore, is used to refer to a detriment to the conditions of nature. Environmental damage is usually caused by pollution.
For example: “Opposition deputies filed a complaint against the miner for alleged environmental damage”, “The oil industry generated serious environmental damage throughout the region”, “Scientists analyze how to reduce the environmental damage caused by productive activity”.
Suppose that a company engaged in the manufacture of cleaning products throws its industrial waste into a river, without applying any treatment to it. This action pollutes the water, affecting the species that live in it and all the people around the river. The company, with its conduct, generates environmental damage.
In all laws there are laws that punish those responsible for environmental damage. There are regulations that set out various guidelines to prevent harm from occurring: those who do not meet these standards and cause the damage are punished.
It should be noted that a natural catastrophe can also cause environmental damage. If the high temperatures and drought cause saarfall in a forest, there will be very serious environmental damage. In this case, the authorities have a responsibility to prevent potential fire outbreaks and the obligation to act quickly to put out the fire and minimize harm.
Another way of thinking about environmental damage is as a significant, adverse and measurable change of some natural resource, such as a habitat, river waters, seabanks or certain wild species that are protected. This alteration almost inevitably affects services that rely on such resources, which is why environmental damage can also be defined from this perspective.
It should be noted that there is specific regulations on soil repair, which is different from the one to be followed to counteract the effects of environmental damage on other natural resources, such as those mentioned in the previous paragraph.
In order to assess the significant nature of a particular environmental damage, i.e. the degree to which it impacts on the spaces or individuals affected by it, the basic state is taken as a reference and comparisons are made by means of measurable data, such as the following:
* the number of individuals, the extent of the area in which they are located or their population density;
* the degree of rarity and threat of habitat or species that have received environmental damage;
* the role of the area or individuals in particular with respect to the conservation of habitat or the damaged species;
* the ability to recover from the resources that have suffered the environmental damage;
* impact of harm on human health.
For significant environmental damage, it is necessary that: variations do not reach natural fluctuations that are considered normal for the affected habitat or species; changes respond to normal causes; the disorder is received by species or habitats that have a high resilience in a relatively short time.
Certain cases of environmental damage may be considered “legal”; for example, the one that causes an environmental assessment carried out with the aim of ensuring biodiversity.