Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement
Editor's Pick

72% of G20 citizens now support criminalising environmental damage

More than half of those surveyed are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ worried about the state of nature and the environment and believe Earth is approaching climate tipping point. 

sea of clouds

The study, conducted by IpsosUK on behalf of Earth4All and Global Commons Alliance, the research follows a number of major legislative changes in several countries, which have taken steps towards introducing ecocide laws. 

These include Belgium, which now recognises environmental damage as a federal crime, whie Chile and France have also introduced comparable rules. Bills proposed in Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru and Scotland are now under consideration in their respective parliaments. 

18 G20 countries were polled, and the results show a marked concern among populations about the mounting climate crisis. 59% of respondents said they were either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ worried about the condition of the plant and its atmosphere, while 69% believe climate and nature tipping points were approaching as a result of human activity. 

‘The majority support (72%) for criminalising actions which allow serious damage to the climate surprised us,’ said Owen Gaffney, co-lead of the Earth4All initiative. ‘The majority of people want to protect the global commons; 71% believe the world needs to take action immediately. Our survey demonstrates that people across the world’s largest economies are acutely aware of the urgent need to safeguard our planet for future generations.’

The responses also revealed gender and regional disparities, with women exhibiting more concern than men (62% to 56%) and a greater percentage advocating for ‘major action’ to be taken to address environmental issues witjin the next decade (74% to 68%). Elsewhere, people living in emerging economies were more likely to feel exposed to climate change than those in Europe and the United States, and those that perceived themselves to be at risk also showed the highest level of concern. 

‘We’re seeing significant policy shifts in favour of ecocide legislation at the domestic, regional, and international levels,’ said Jojo Mehta, Co-founder and CEO of Stop Ecocide International. ‘Most notably, at the start of this year, the European Union included ‘qualified offences’ in its newly revised Environmental Crime Directive that can encompass ‘conduct comparable to ecocide.’ This means EU member states now have two years to bring these rules into national law – a huge moment felt across the globe.’

More on climate change and net zero:

Image: Nik Shuliahin

Comments

Subscribe
Notify of
guest


0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Help us break the news – share your information, opinion or analysis