{"id":686228,"date":"2025-08-21T01:35:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/individuals-should-be-held-to-account-for-environmental-damage-say-experts\/"},"modified":"2025-08-21T01:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T22:35:14","slug":"individuals-should-be-held-to-account-for-environmental-damage-say-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/individuals-should-be-held-to-account-for-environmental-damage-say-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Individuals should be held to account for environmental damage, say experts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Individuals should be held accountable for “ecocide,” the most serious acts of environmental destruction, argue experts in The BMJ<\/i>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Fifty years on, as the world grapp<\/a>les 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.<\/p>\n

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

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Criminalizing ecocide would bring various benefits, they say. For example, the specter of personal accountability of decision makers\u2014whether public officials or corporate executives\u2014may provide a more powerful deterrent than attributing responsibility to organizations alone.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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%.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

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More information:<\/strong>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEditorial: Criminalising ecocide, The BMJ<\/i> (2025). DOI: 10.1136\/bmj.r1715<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCitation<\/strong>:
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIndividuals should be held to account for environmental damage, say experts (2025, August 20)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 20 August 2025
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/news<\/a>\/2025-08-individuals-held-account-environmental-experts.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

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