Campaigner Gina Miller is calling for ecocide to be criminalised as she warned that the UK is far behind the European Union in terms of environmental protection.
The anti-Brexit campaigner has backed policy proposals that would see major polluters jailed for up to 10 years or face a fine of up to £3.85 million.
Ms Miller warned that UK progress on environmental policies more widely has been stifled by Brexit.
This, compounded by a lack of action from Britain’s mainstream parties, means it is lagging behind its European counterparts, she said.
It comes as the EU became the first international body to criminalise wide-scale environmental damage – comparable to ecocide – when MEPs passed an update to the bloc’s environmental crime directive in February.
Ecocide is defined as unlawful or wanton acts committed with the knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe, widespread or long-term damage to the environment.
Similar regulation is also already in place in France.
Ms Miller, who came to prominence bringing legal cases over Brexit, said: “Brexit has allowed us to weaken our environmental rules and dilute our climate ambitions.
“We are not only pitifully lagging behind Europe, but we have lost all credibility as a global leader in environmental protection.
“We were once called the poor man of Europe. Unless our politicians seriously address the need for robust, pragmatic rules and regulations to safeguard our nation against the negative effects of climate change, we will be the dirty, ill, poor man of Europe.”
Ms Miller, who is standing at the next general election as leader of the True & Fair party, noted that 85% of the UK’s environmental protections are derived from EU legislation.
The campaigner warned that the UK has been veering off course since it left the bloc and is failing to establish new protections like those being prioritised by the EU.
She cited recent analysis by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) which suggested a divergence in ambition in addressing the climate crisis between post-Brexit Britain and Europe, such as the UK weakening its rules on water treatment, air quality and industrial emissions.
The True & Fair party has included ecocide in its manifesto as the first policy of its kind to be backed by any British political party ahead of a general election.
The party highlighted the Labour Party’s rollback on its £28 billion green spending pledge and the Tory Government’s pushback on several net zero commitments.
It comes as the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) revealed that climate change indicators reached record levels in 2023 – with the year being the hottest ever recorded.
Ms Miller said: “This week, the WMO is sounding the alarm that climate change is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis.
“The lack of ambition from the mainstream parties’ second-rate policies, threatens the lives of future generations. This proposal is not a radical one, it is simply an essential one.”
The True & Fair party is also calling for ecocide to be recognised by the International Criminal Court, alongside genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of aggression.
Commenting on its manifesto, broadcaster and environmental campaigner Chris Packham said: “It’s a bold, brave and exciting move by the True & Fair Party, to campaign to have ecocide written into law, in the midst of our climate and biodiversity crises.”
Meanwhile, Georgia Elliott-Smith, director of Fighting Dirty, said: “Embracing ecocide as an international crime is a beautifully simple solution. A crime of ecocide will hold directors personally liable for harming the environment and make them responsible for cleaning up their mess.”
An Environment Department (Defra) spokesperson said: “We are unequivocal about enhancing the UK’s already high standards on environmental protection, with new legally binding targets under our Environment Act and many of our statutory schemes equalling or going beyond EU targets.
“We already have a clear polluter pays principle in law under the Environment Act and we are taking tough action to hold polluters to account by quadrupling water company inspections and changing the law so that polluters face unlimited penalties from the Environment Agency, which are quicker and easier to enforce.”
