EDITORIAL
Enviro-crime fighters are big heroes, too

Never mind "NYPD Blue" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." How about a TV series about an environmental crime unit that investigates the dumping of toxic waste and other assaults on the planet?

Granted, it's not as exciting as watching car chases or forensics experts finding clues in autopsies. But the repercussions of environmental crime are actually closer in scope to global terrorism.

Consider the premise of the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster, "The Day After Tomorrow," in which global warming turns the Earth's climate haywire — pushing America into an ice age.

Science fiction aside, the geopolitical consequences of abrupt climate changes include droughts, famine and severe storms, as many parts of the world are already experiencing,

To reverse this trend, we need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and start using cleaner energy sources such as wind and solar power. And stop polluting.

Which brings us to Gov. Linda Lingle's new Environmental Crime Unit, a division in the attorney general's office created to investigate and prosecute violations of laws related to air and water quality, solid and hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, pesticides and chemicals.

We're delighted to see that assaults on the 'aina are being taken seriously, just as we are about authorities getting tougher on corporate corruption. If we don't come down hard on the toxic dumpers and corporate pirates, we send out a message that such behavior, though regrettable, is not criminal.

These are not victimless crimes.

That said, the creation of a state environmental crime unit does not let the rest of us off the hook. We must all do our part to report environmental crimes and protect Hawai'i's fragile ecosystem.