Our Scientific Model:
The Theory of Scalable Environmental Impact
The Four Levels of Environmental Impact
Ecotrauma: Limited and reversible environmental damage that can be fully remediated through the timely implementation of appropriate measures.
Eco-Damage: Severe environmental degradation that significantly affects natural resources or ecosystems. It requires extensive remediation efforts; otherwise, it may develop into irreversible damage.
Ecocide: Extensive, long-term or irreversible destruction that fundamentally undermines ecological balance, biodiversity and the rights of future generations.
Geocide: The highest level of environmental impact, involving disruption to the planet’s natural systems—including the climate, oceans and biogeochemical cycles—with global consequences.
The EISDBE has developed and internationally proposed a unified scientific and evaluative framework for understanding, classifying and addressing anthropogenic impacts on the natural environment. A fundamental premise of the theory is that environmental impacts are not equivalent in their severity. Consequently, their assessment requires an objective scale of severity that can be applied in scientific research, public policy development, governance and law.
The Four Assessment Criteria
The classification of each environmental impact is based on four objective criteria:
Purpose and Institutional Application
The Theory aims to establish a common legal and scientific vocabulary capable of facilitating evidence-based decision-making and the development of effective policies at European and international level. Environmental protection does not end with remediation; it requires the early identification of the severity of an environmental impact, enabling public authorities to intervene decisively before damage becomes irreversible.