ABSTRACT
Environmental harm is characterised by a distance between consequences and their causes. This chapter discusses how the development of knowledge may influence the enforcement of law relating to pollution caused by modern industry. It presents the main empirical framework like PCB pollution in the Norwegian fjords, the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and the Vest Tank explosion in Gulen, Norway. The chapter reveals how people should perceive nature as a part of the modern society, the extent of knowledge and responsibilities of pollution and what strategies are necessary for effective environmental regulation. The concept of distance is essential to an understanding of the legislative dynamics of environmental harm, and it is necessary to develop the area of knowledge regarding how modern business activities affect the environment. Environmental harm is certainly social harm, but the cultural distance between the consequences and causes of the harm actually helps to exclude environmental protection from current political agendas.
