It is generally accepted that humans should be assured of the basic human rights of security and subsistence. Therefore, access to clean air and water, land capable of growing uncontaminated food, and a climate that fosters growth are inherent human rights. In this provocative book the author states that the current thrust in both ethics and the law, to a separation between human rights and environmental rights, is profoundly misguided. The interrelationship of these rights compels an examination of cases where the deprivation of environmental rights can be construed as an assault on the current and future wellbeing of a community. Exploring such acts of environmental violence as "ecocrimes," the author builds the case that the international law principles of jus cogens and erga omnes justify characterizing ecocrime as a "just crime" requiring action to curb their occurrence and punishment to deter them. The book discuses the obstacles that defining environmental assaults as "ecocrimes" will face both in national and international circumstances. The author concludes by proposing the creation of an International Environmental Court that would adjudicate "ecocrime" issues. This forward thinking work will be of great interest to all involved in the human rights issues of environmental threats.