Colombo, Oct. 16 (Daily Mirror) - Environmental degradation transcends national borders and requires effective international legal frameworks to ensure accountability for ecological destruction caused by multinational corporations, Attorney-at-Law Ravindranath Dabare has said.
Speaking on behalf of the Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ), Friends of the Earth International and the global campaign, Mr. Dabare stressed that environmental protection required stronger international mechanisms, particularly when domestic legal systems failed to deliver justice to affected communities.
He said ecosystems, oceans and biodiversity constituted a shared global heritage, warning that environmental destruction caused by transnational corporations affected not only present populations but also future generations.
Citing the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster off Sri Lanka's western coast in May 2021, Mr. Dabare highlighted the far-reaching environmental consequences of the incident, which involved a vessel carrying hazardous chemicals, including nitric acid, caustic soda and methanol, as well as 1,680 tonnes of plastic pellets.
The disaster caused extensive ecological damage, affected fishing communities and raised serious concerns over public health and the long-term impact on marine ecosystems.
He referred to the landmark judgment delivered by a five-judge bench of the Supreme Court in July 2025, which recognised human rights violations associated with the disaster and ordered companies linked to the incident to pay an initial US$1 billion in compensation.
However, Mr. Dabare said only US$1 million had reportedly been paid to date, highlighting the disparity between judicial orders and the actual recovery of compensation.
He said the gap demonstrated the challenges countries faced in enforcing legal decisions against powerful multinational corporations and securing adequate compensation for environmental damage.
According to Mr. Dabare, national legal systems alone may be insufficient to address transnational environmental harm when effective international enforcement mechanisms are lacking.
He called on the relevant working groups to establish a binding international treaty and a dedicated tribunal to address the activities of transnational corporations and strengthen corporate accountability for environmental destruction.
The proposed treaty should provide an international mechanism to intervene when domestic legal systems fail to protect affected communities or ensure justice, he said.
Mr. Dabare said that accountability for environmental damage should not depend solely on a country's economic strength, arguing that affected communities must have access to effective remedies regardless of the resources available to their governments.