麻豆淫院

Individuals should be held accountable for "ecocide," the most serious acts of environmental destruction, argue experts in The BMJ.

And they say the UK should take on a leadership role by adopting legislation of its own to criminalize ecocide and inspiring other nations to protect our planet.

The term "ecocide" was coined in 1970 by biologist Arthur Galston, who condemned the large-scale environmental devastation caused during the Vietnam War, they explain.

Fifty years on, as the world grapples with the escalating consequences of climate change, including sea level rises and biodiversity loss, momentum is building to establish ecocide as a new international crime so that individuals can be held accountable for the most serious acts of environmental destruction.

In May 2025, Scotland introduced a bill to criminalize ecocide, joining other countries including Argentina, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, and Peru.

A proposal to add ecocide to crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) would also be an important step toward accountability for serious environmental damage.

However, the authors note that under the ICC framework, states remain primarily responsible for investigating and prosecuting core crimes, reinforcing the need for domestic efforts to support international criminalization of ecocide.

The UK therefore has an opportunity to take on a leadership role by adopting its own legislation, they write, noting that a bill to criminalize ecocide was introduced in 2023 but has not moved forward.

Criminalizing ecocide would bring various benefits, they say. For example, the specter of personal accountability of decision makers鈥攚hether public officials or corporate executives鈥攎ay provide a more powerful deterrent than attributing responsibility to organizations alone.

Moreover, criminal law carries expressive power. "Treating environmental harm not merely as a regulatory issue but also as a criminal act conveys a strong message about societal values and priorities. This can change consciousness and drive meaningful changes in human behavior and policies," they add.

And they point out that a domestic prohibition on ecocide in the UK has wide support. In an Ipsos survey conducted in 2024 among 22,000 participants from G20 countries, 72% of respondents supported the criminalization of ecocide. In the UK, this figure was 78%.

"Embracing the campaign for the criminalization of ecocide is an opportunity for the UK to act on this consensus and position itself as a global leader, inspiring other nations to protect our planet and ultimately ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come," they conclude.