Criminalization of air pollution: the role of article 230 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova in preventing environmental crime

URL: https://dspace.academy.police.md/criminalization-of-air-pollution-the-role-of-article-230-of-the-criminal-code-of-the-republic-of-moldova-in-preventing-environmental-crime/

Data: 2026

This scientific study analyzes current issues regarding the legal framework for the criminalization of atmospheric air pollution through the lens of Article 230 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova and its role in preventing environmental crime. Atmospheric air is necessary for human survival and environmental conservation. The scientific community is concerned about the rapid and continuous growth of the population, which uses resources faster, and thus the accumulation of an enormous amount of waste will gradually worsen the quality of atmospheric air. The change in pollutants released into the atmosphere has become more complex throughout human history, as they are released in huge quantities. Sources of air pollution vary greatly - from fuel combustion, household, agricultural or mining activities, to natural disasters, significant industrial accidents or, more recently, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. At the current stage, new techniques are being developed that monitor air composition to ensure air quality control. The population exposed to these harmful compounds is prone to various health problems, including skin, cardiovascular, brain, blood and lung diseases. The substances also contribute to global warming, acid rain and ozone depletion, which in turn lead to water and soil pollution and damage to flora and fauna. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was observed that the reduction of human activities that cause pollution led to an improvement in the quality of atmospheric air, which shows that long-term solutions can also be found. Among the reasons for such an unfavorable environmental situation are, among others, violations of criminal environmental legislation, which establishes rules for the protection of atmospheric air. Thus, in the content of the study we will refer more to atmospheric air as the object of the crime under Article 230 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Moldova, because atmospheric pollution is one of the factors that shape the Earth’s climate.