環境污染自人類懂得使用火焰時便已產生，隨著科技之進步，工業革命之發生，人們所產生之污染種類亦不斷增加，社會中自然亦有為防範環境污染，主張以刑法作為節制手段之聲音，刑法乃為法益保護法，若無法益存在則不可使用刑法，故環境法益理論之發展在此種狀態下展開。
環境法益之學說發展出諸多理論，亦有使用社會學之理論建構者，迄今仍無理論獲得多數人之同意，惟在此一情況下，現今立法者便已於刑法第190條之1修正時主張，環境因其重要性而需保護，並將之作為刑法上獨立保護目標。
然此一主張立法者並未進行任何論理，亦未對此一「環境」進行定性，其究竟為刑法上法益，抑或立法者創立一嶄新之刑法保護客體，但此一舉動是否合宜，顯然存在巨大問題。
本文將經由環境法益之探討，探索環境法益之發展歷程，自刑法法益理論以及社會學風險社會之理論，檢視刑法第190條之1修正之理由，尋覓當代環境法益是否可為一法益之定位。
Environmental pollution has been generated since humans know how to use fire. As Advancement of science and The Industrial Revolution, kind of pollution increased. In order to handle to prevent environmental pollution, there is someone in society thinks criminal law is a way to control environmental pollution. Criminal law is the law to protect legal interests. Criminal law can not be used if there is no legal interests. The study of legal Interest of Environment is expand in this state.
Theory of legal interest of the environment have different theory. There are theory built on sociology. So far, there is no theory to obtain the majority’s consent, but when legislators revise article 190-1 of the code of criminal law, they claim environment is so important that need to be protect and make it as a protected object.
Legislators haven’t explain anything about that claim and neither they define what environment is. Is environment legal interest or a new protected object in criminal law. Obviously, there is a huge problem.
This article will research the development process of legal interest of the environment, using legal interests and risk society to examine the reason of amendment of article 190-1 of criminal law. To find out that nowadays legal interest of the environment can be a legal interest or not.
