Latest news with #EcocideBill
Spectator
5 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Scotland's Ecocide Bill is pure moral posturing
Here we go again. The Scottish parliament risks embarking on yet another exercise in legislative virtue signalling: the Labour MSP Monica Lennon's emotively titled Ecocide Bill. The Scottish government is reportedly looking favourably on this legislation, which would make destroying the environment a criminal offence punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Needless to say, destroying the environment – intentionally or recklessly – is already illegal under numerous statutes: the Environmental Protection Act, the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and the Climate Change Act, to name but three. But, like the ill-fated Named Person Act, the Gender Recognition Reform Bill or the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, this Ecocide Bill is designed to 'send a message'. That message being: damaging the environment is a really, very bad thing indeed and should be opposed by all right-thinking people. Much like those earlier legislative missteps, the unintelligible Ecocide Bill, if it goes the distance, will repealed, ignored, or, most likely, ruled ultra vires – beyond the powers of the Scottish Parliament.
Scotsman
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
The massive penalties public bodies and water companies would face for ecocide in Scotland
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland's ecocide laws could result in public bodies such as councils and water companies facing criminal prosecutions, the MSP bringing forward the legislation has suggested. Labour MSP Monica Lennon has confirmed she will officially introduce her Ecocide Bill at Holyrood later this month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Yorkshire Water has been slammed by Abtisam Mohamed MP over a "completely unacceptable" increase in sewage spills. | UGC The proposals could see executives at companies found to be committing ecocide jailed for up to 20 years and have assets seized. Amid a global move to outlaw ecocide, Ms Lennon's members Bill would make Scotland the first part of the UK to legislate to tackle the environmental crime. But Ms Lennon has confirmed there would be an instrument within her proposed law that could see water companies and other bodies also face prosecution, alongside corporate businesses. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Environmental Standards Scotland watchdog has warned sewage pollution of Scotland's rivers and beaches is more widespread than initially thought - stressing there were thousands of sewage overflow incidents last year, with almost half of Scotland's storm overflows releasing sewage more than 50 times. Of those, a third released sewage at least 100 times, and four sites more than 500 times. Few of these incidents were publicly disclosed; most failed to be justified as exceptional. According to Scottish Water's own assessment, almost one in five - around 800 - sewage spill outlets across Scotland are in an 'unsatisfactory' condition. Although criminal activity would need to be evidenced, the ecocide laws would still apply to public bodies, including local councils. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Labour MSP Monica Lennon said she has has experienced more than her 'fair share' of 'ugly' social media comments, and previously had to call police to her home over harassment and security fears. Photo: JeffMs Lennon has now secured the backing of the Unison trade union for her proposed legislation, as well as 51 MSPs. Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Ecocide International, spoke alongside Ms Lennon at an event discussing the proposed law at the STUC congress in Dundee. Ms Mehta stressed 'you need a level of evidential clarity that is quite specific'. She said: 'You need to be able to say that this action created or threatened to create this specific harm. It's not that it would be impossible to have a public body being held accountable, but it would have to be at quite a large scale. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'One could potentially look at a situation in the future where a policy decision to do something specific that we know the severe harm would come from - that could potentially constitute ecocide.' Ms Mehta warned an ecocide law would be reserved 'for the most severe cases'. She said ecocide is defined in law as 'unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there's a substantial likelihood or severe long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You are not inventing a new crime,' she said. 'You are saying these things are already against the law. If you breach those and you create this level of harm, suddenly you're in the very serious crime category.' Ms Lennon confirmed her Bill, as tabled, would include the ability for public sector bodies to be liable for ecocide. She said: 'On the point about whether this also catch public sector decision makers - potentially, yes. The Bill will have definitions.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The MSP pointed to the UK Companies Act 2006, which highlights 'any other body or association'. She added: 'There's some serious pollution going on.' Ms Lennon said: 'There is huge public support for the criminalisation of ecocide and I am pleased that Scotland is at the forefront of this.
