Individuals should be held to account for environmental damage, say experts

Individuals must be held responsible for “ecode”, the most serious acts of environmental destruction, argument of experts in experts BMJ.

And they say that the United Kingdom should assume a leadership role in adopting its own legislation to criminalize the ecode and inspire other nations to protect our planet.

The term “ecode” was invented in 1970 by the biologist Arthur Galston, who condemned environmental devastation on a large-scale caused during the Vietnam War, they explain.

Fifty years later, while the world is struggling with climate change consequences, including increases in sea level and loss of biodiversity, Momentum is built to establish ecode as a new international crime so that individuals can be held responsible for the most serious acts of environmental destruction.

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

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

However, the authors note that within the framework of the ICC, the States remain mainly responsible for the investigation and the pursuit of basic crimes, strengthening the need for internal efforts to support international criminalization of the ecode.

The United Kingdom therefore has the opportunity to play a leadership role by adopting its own legislation, they write, noting that a bill to criminalize the ecocide was introduced in 2023 but has not advanced.

The criminalization of the ecocide would bring various advantages, they say. For example, the spectrum of personal liability of decision -makers – whether civil servants or business managers – can provide a more powerful means of deterrence than to assign responsibility only to organizations.

In addition, criminal law has expressive power. “The treatment of environmental damage not only as a regulatory problem but also as a criminal act transmits a strong message on societal values and priorities. This can change consciousness and stimulate significant changes in human behavior and policies,” they add.

And they emphasize that a national ban on ecodus in the United Kingdom has a large support. In an IPSOS survey carried out in 2024 among 22,000 participants from the G20 countries, 72% of respondents supported the criminalization of the ecode. In the United Kingdom, this figure was 78%.

“To embrace the campaign for the criminalization of ecocide is an opportunity for the United Kingdom to act on this consensus and to position itself as world leader, inspiring other nations to protect our planet and, ultimately, ensure a lasting future for future generations,” they conclude.