Jail Time for Eco-Criminals: Scotland to Introduce World-Leading Ecocide Law
Scotland is poised to become the first UK nation to criminalise ecocide - severe and reckless harm to nature - under a new Member’s Bill published in Holyrood today.
The Ecocide (Scotland) Bill, introduced by MSP Monica Lennon, would make it a criminal offence to cause widespread, long-term or irreversible environmental damage, with potential penalties including up to 20 years in prison for individuals and unlimited fines for companies.
The Bill will now be considered by the Scottish Parliament, with committee scrutiny and evidence gathering expected to begin before the summer recess. A full parliamentary vote could take place in 2025, ahead of the next Scottish election in May 2026 — the latest point by which legislation must be passed before the current parliamentary session ends.
This groundbreaking move positions Scotland at the forefront of growing international efforts to use criminal law to deter mass environmental destruction. In September 2024, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Fiji formally proposed an amendment to the Rome Statute to include ecocide as an international crime - a proposal now backed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At the regional level, the European Union, also last year, adopted a revised Environmental Crime Directive that includes “conduct comparable to ecocide”, requiring member states to transpose these provisions into national law by May 2026. Earlier this month, the Council of Europe adopted a landmark treaty, the Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law, which enables states to prosecute conduct resulting in environmental disasters “tantamount to ecocide”.
Public support is also strong: a 2024 Global Commons Survey found that 72% of people across 18 G20 countries believe it should be a criminal offence for leaders to permit or cause serious environmental harm. To date, twelve countries - including Belgium, France, and Ukraine - have adopted ecocide or equivalent offences into domestic law, while at least nine others, such as Brazil, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, and Italy, are joining Scotland in advancing domestic legislation.
Key Features of the Bill:
Creates the crime of ecocide: defined as causing severe environmental harm either intentionally or through recklessness — where the harm is widespread, long-term or irreversible.
Up to 20 years imprisonment: for individuals found guilty, with provisions for publicity orders, remediation costs, and unlimited fines for corporate offenders.
Corporate accountability: senior executives can be held personally liable when offences involve their consent, connivance or neglect.
In support of the Bill, an open letter to members of the Scottish Parliament has been published, signed by over 100 prominent figures from around the world. Among the environmental advocates backing the Bill are Jonathon Porritt CBE, Dale Vince OBE, George Monbiot, Princess Esméralda of Belgium, Ian Redmond OBE, and Isabella Tree. Signatories include several King’s Counsels — notably renowned human rights barristers Michael Mansfield KC and Philippe Sands KC — as well as parliamentarians from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, North America, and the Pacific Islands, including Vanuatu. Business leaders such as Paul Polman (formerly Unilever), Charlotte O’Leary (Pensions for Purpose), and Tessa Clarke (OLIO) are also among the supporters.
Scottish backers includes major public health charity Asthma + Lung UK Scotland, UNISON Scotland, Quakers in Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Friends of the Earth Scotland, environmental scientist and youth campaigner Laura Young, Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Mike Robinson, the Reverend David J.M. Coleman (Eco-Congregation Scotland) — highlighting the Bill’s broad and cross-sector appeal.
Supporters say the Bill fills a critical legal gap and aligns Scotland with the emerging international consensus that some environmental harms are so serious, they must be treated as crimes — not just regulatory failures.
Monica Lennon MSP, introducing the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill, said:
“I’m delighted to be publishing the Ecocide (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament today, on a strong foundation of cross-party and public support. With ecocide law, Scotland can take bold and necessary action against severe environmental damage. Environmental destruction isn’t some distant issue for the people of Scotland - it directly threatens health, livelihoods, and the future of entire communities. From sewage spilling into waterways to toxic pollution left behind by heavy industry, the damage is real and ongoing. Ecocide is a crime against the common good, and those who commit widespread or irreversible harm should be held to account. This is a vital opportunity for Scotland to become the first UK nation to criminalise ecocide and signal that the destruction of nature won’t be tolerated here.”
Professor Kate Mackintosh, Executive Director, UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe, said:
“With this Bill, Scotland is helping to shape a pivotal moment in the evolution of environmental law. The move to criminalise ecocide at the national level reflects a growing global recognition that severe and reckless harm to nature deserves the same legal scrutiny as other grave crimes. By establishing criminal accountability for mass environmental destruction, Scotland contributes to an emerging legal framework that not only deters and punishes the worst offences against the natural world, but also upholds the fundamental human rights that depend on a healthy environment.”
Jojo Mehta, CEO and Co-founder of Stop Ecocide International, said:
“This Scottish Bill is a striking example of how national action can drive global change. Around the world, ecocide law is gaining ground as a vital tool — not just to punish environmental destruction, but to prevent it. While the ultimate goal is to have ecocide recognised as a serious crime all over the world, national laws play a crucial role in legitimising that goal, building momentum, and providing accountability now. They help shape legal norms that are increasingly being reflected in international frameworks.
“From the new Council of Europe Convention, which enables states to prosecute acts ‘tantamount to ecocide’, to the formal proposal by Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa to make ecocide a core international crime, momentum is accelerating. Scotland’s move adds meaningful weight to this shift, reinforcing the growing global consensus that mass destruction of nature must be treated as a crime — in law, and in principle.”