From the BBC:

Plans to turn environmental offences over to the criminal courts across the EU are set to be unveiled by the European Commission.

It marks an extension of the EU's powers, following a landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2006.

It is one of the first times the EU would have the power to make criminal law and set penalties.

Most offences covered by the draft directive relate to the dumping, transport or treatment of waste.

This includes both nuclear material and radioactive substances.

An excerpt from a BBC column by Mark Mardell and my gentle rebuttal and additional thoughts.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva dropped the diplomatic niceties during a speech in Rio de Janeiro. He demanded that developed countries do more on reducing GHG emissions, accused them of having a double standard on the issue and warned them not to lecture him on the Amazon rain forest.