P4P Vice-Chair Baroness Rosie Boycott was interviewed by Isabella Kaminski on her ongoing campaign for a new crime of ecocide to be recognised to target those causing severe environmental damage.
The article covers Baroness Boycott’s broader focus in parliament on the environment as well as her current work on a report on ultra processed foods as a crossbench member of the Lords’ Food, Diet and Obesity Select Committee.
Baroness Boycott's work on ecocide includes a private members bill on ecocide introduced in the Lords last year to include a new offence into the criminal law framework which targets those causing severe environmental damage. Although the bill did not proceed further due to the dissolution of the last parliament earlier this year, she entered the ballot to resubmit the bill at the start of the current parliament but was not successful. The bill has however helped to build momentum for the idea in the UK, and Baroness Boycott remains committed to the idea.
Baroness Boycott also welcomed the government’s announcement that it would increase the ability of the Environment Agency to “bring forward criminal charges against law-breaking water executives”, but notes that there are many other polluters who are not currently being held to account for the damage they are causing to the environment such as in relation to air and soil quality, and growing concerns around the impacts on human health.
You can read the full ENDS Report article here
Comments