Latest news with #ScottishEcocideBill
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
'Jaws' ocean swimmer Lewis Pugh backs Monica Lennon's ecocide law for Scotland
'Jaws' ocean swimmer Lewis Pugh backs Monica Lennon's ecocide law for Scotland Endurance swimmer and campaigner Pugh has just finished an epic 12-day swim in the waters where 'Jaws' was filmed to raise awareness of endangered sharks. Lewis Pugh speaks with press directly after completing his 12-day 62-mile swim around the island of Martha's Vineyard. (Image: AP Photo/Leah Willingham ) Endurance swimmer and world-renowned oceans campaigner Lewis Pugh has thrown his weight behind Monica Lennon's Scottish Ecocide Bill. Pugh, 55, has just finished an epic 12-day swim around Martha's Vineyard in the US - where the movie 'Jaws' was filmed - raising awareness of endangered sharks. And he's backing Labour MSP Lennon's plan to criminalise mass environmental destruction in Scotland - saying it's an 'important step' in the global fight to save our wildlife. Pugh, who is the UN Patron of the Oceans, said: 'I've spent 40 years swimming in the world's oceans, and I've seen them change dramatically. 'Take sharks, for example - on average, 274,000 are killed globally every single day. These creatures were around before the dinosaurs, and yet in my lifetime, they've been pushed to the brink. 'For too long, the law hasn't kept pace with the damage we're doing. Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh on his swim around Martha's Vineyard in the US (Image: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty ) "When we harm nature like this, it's not just wildlife that suffers - we're creating real problems for people too: scarcity, stress, even conflict. Article continues below 'This is about justice - about protecting what we cannot replace. 'Some damage is so severe, so permanent, it should be unthinkable. "We need to draw a clear red line that says: you will not cross this. 'This development in Scotland is an important step forward.' Monica Lennon at the launch event for the proposed ecocide bill in Edinburgh on November 8, 2023. Pugh, from Plymouth in Devon, was the first person to undertake a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world. He pioneered the first swim across the North Pole, the first swim along the length of the English Channel, and even swam under Antarctic ice in 2020 to show the impacts of climate change. In 2023, he swam the full length of the Hudson River in New York to raise issues around water quality. Now he has just braved the great white shark hotspot around Martha's Vineyard, an island off Massachusetts, on a 60-mile swim to mark the 50th anniversary of the Steven Spielberg 1975 classic, Jaws. Documenting his progress on social media under #TheSharkSwim hashtag, Pugh has highlighted the threats to the survival of sharks such as overfishing. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. (Image: Getty Images ) Writing on X on Monday, he revealed: "I've just completed #TheSharkSwim "12 days and 59 miles around the island of Martha's Vineyard, where Jaws was filmed 50 years ago. "It's been one of the toughest swims of my life. Cold water, relentless wind, big waves and the constant thought of what might be beneath me. But I swam here for a reason "Jaws has shaped our perception of sharks as vindictive killers. That fear spread across the globe and lasted for half a century. "Now it's time to change the narrative for a new generation. "Sharks are not monsters. They're magnificent. They're essential. And they're seriously endangered. "As apex predators, they keep the ocean in balance. Take them out, and the entire ecosystem starts to collapse. " Right now, sharks need us. An estimated 274,000 sharks are killed every single day. It's an ecocide taking place right now, and we must stop it." We previously told how Lennon's Scottish Ecocide Bill - set to be published this week - has also won the backing of Sir David Attenborough's acclaimed wildlife cameraman Doug Allan. Article continues below Lennon's proposals could see polluters and other perpetrators of severe environmental damage in Scotland punished by up to 20 years in jail.
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Record
Sir David Attenborough's Scots cameraman backs groundbreaking 'ecocide' law
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Celebrated BBC wildlife photographer Doug Allan has hailed MSP Monica Lennon's 'powerful' proposals to tackle eco criminals. Sir David Attenborough's award-winning cameraman has backed groundbreaking legislation being published at Holyrood this week which would outlaw 'ecocide' in Scotland. Doug Allan – world-renowned for his work on BBC shows including Life, Planet Earth and The Blue Planet – hailed MSP Monica Lennon's 'powerful' plan to hold polluters to account through a Scottish Ecocide Bill. Under the Labour politician's proposals, company bosses who cause severe or widespread damage to ecosystems could be prosecuted and face up to 20-year prison terms. After years of planning and consultation, Lennon is set to publish her draft Ecocide (Prevention) Bill at Holyrood on May 29. If passed it would be the first law of its kind in the UK. Bafta and Emmy award-winning Allan, born in Fife, said it can't come soon enough. The Sunday Mail previously teamed up with the celebrated wildlife photographer and cameraman in our successful campaign to ban polluting plastic wet wipes. Allan, also a marine biologist, said: 'I've always believed that there's a sort of Scottish psyche which is more aware of the natural environment. "Having travelled the world, I can tell you Scotland is one of the loveliest countries out there in terms of the wildernesses that you can find and the freedom to roam about them. "There's so much that Scotland's got going for it and an ecocide law has the potential to be powerful. 'I just hope it gets passed and then starts to have an effect as soon as possible.' The proposals were first championed by the Sunday Mail in 2021 as Glasgow was preparing to host COP26. Experts say ecocide laws could capture large-scale acts of eco destruction like river pollution, deforestation and oil spills. They could also target energy giants behind new fossil fuel schemes which pump even more carbon into the atmosphere – as the world hurtles towards catastrophic climate change. Allan warned political turmoil and events like the war in Ukraine had seen action on the climate and environment stall with concerns rising over the cost of net zero. But he said: "What's good about this Bill is it actually goes after the people who are causing the damage, so it shouldn't cost the government much to put it into force - and we should be extracting something from the people who cause the damage. 'I've started talking about climate breakdown rather than climate change, because climate change is much too gentle a word. 'If you've got something that breaks down, you've got to fix it – and that's what we've done. We have broken down the climate. 'People wouldn't damage the environment if there wasn't some profit motive sitting away at the back of it somewhere. "And this Bill gets to grips with the economic system which is causing that damage in the first place.' Lennon said: 'This robust plan to criminalise severe environmental crimes has been a long time in the making, with the help of world-leading experts and community voices across the country. 'It's brilliant to have the backing of legendary wildlife cameraman and photographer Doug Allan, whose work underwater and in the polar regions has brought the undeniable case for ecocide law to our screens.' It comes as the latest documentary by Sir David, 99, has sparked huge public debate over destructive industrial fishing activities, some of which experts say could meet the bar for ecocide. As well as exploring the world's incredible marine wildlife, 'Ocean With David Attenborough ' exposes the grim trail of destruction left by bottom-trawling and dredging vessels which rip up the seabed, featuring unprecedented underwater footage. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In Scotland, more than 90 per cent of our Marine Protected Areas still allow trawlers to operate. The Blue Marine Foundation, which will screen the film for free for hundreds of UK schools, is also backing Lennon's Bill. Jonny Hughes from the conservation charity said: 'If allowing our supposedly protected areas to be trashed by the most destructive fishing gears isn't ecocide, it's hard to imagine what would be. 'David Attenborough's latest film shows a stark but accurate picture of what's going on in our waters, including where there is 'protection' – at least on paper. 'Ministers cannot criticise deforestation or other ecologically damaging policies in place around the world while allowing this to happen in our own seas.' Ocean with David Attenborough is in cinemas now with a wider release on Disney+ on June 8.
