从《民法典》第1232条规定惩罚性赔偿的目的来看，该条应当适用于生态环境损害赔偿。生态环境损害惩罚性赔偿的功能既包括对生态环境承载的精神和文化价值提供填补性赔偿，也包括对故意违法者给予应得的惩罚以及对严重的污染环境和破坏生态行为进行完全威慑。生态环境损害惩罚性赔偿责任以侵权人的主观故意、行为的违法性以及严重的损害后果作为特殊的成立要件，彰显出侵权行为的应受谴责性，也是施加惩罚性赔偿的依据。基于侵权责任的性质、环境侵权的特殊性、赔偿金额计算的技术性要求以及为确保生态环境损害惩罚性赔偿之完全威慑功能的实现，确定赔偿金额的原则是消除侵权人因此获得的利益，使侵权人得不偿失。生态环境损害惩罚性赔偿责任应当作为一项补充性的威慑机制，从而避免惩罚性赔偿的滥用。在行政处罚或刑罚已经实现威慑要求时，可以选择不适用惩罚性赔偿；在需要适用惩罚性赔偿时，赔偿数额的确定应综合考虑所有公法和私法上的金钱责任。

Article 1232 of the Civil Code should also be applicable to ecological and environmental destructionPunitive damages for ecological and environmental destruction include providing compensation for the loss of spiritual and cultural values contained in our ecology and environment,punishing violators,and deterring people from severely hurting our environmentPunitive damages for ecological and environmental destruction are justified by a violators intention,his or her illegal action,and the severe consequence caused by his or her actionConsidering the nature of environmental destruction,one should make sure that those who violate the laws be punished severely enough to deter others from causing similar damages to our environmentHowever,when applying punitive damages for ecological and environmental destruction,we should also avoid abusing the lawPunitive damages may not be necessary if administrative penalty or criminal punishment has already achieved the desired effect