Argentina Ecocide Law: special forms of environmental crimes

Summary

On 19 June 2025, Argentina advanced an additional ecocide legislation with a new Senate Bill “Law on Special Forms of Environmental Crimes” which would establish a dedicated chapter on environmental crimes, including ecocide, within the Argentine Penal Code. The new bill defines ecocide as “irreversible or especially serious damage caused to the environment in violation of minimum environmental protection standards, compromising the rights of present and future generations”.

Legal Provisions
This bill proposes two specific changes to the Penal Code. The first is technical: the incorporation of definitions into Article 77 of the Code’s glossary to provide greater clarity in the interpretation of environmental offences including, “irreversible environmental damage”, “especially serious environmental damage”, and “spatial extent of environmental damage”. The second is substantive: the creation of a new section dedicated entirely to environmental crimes, in which ecocide is established as a distinct legal category. with

Penalties increase depending on who is responsible, including imprisonment ranging from 3-10 years, escalating to 5-15 years for irreversible environmental damage, and up to 25 years if deaths result. Public officials involved in serious environmental damage would face harsher sentences. Companies could be subject to fines calculated as multiples of the minimum wage, as well as suspension of activities, exclusion from public procurement processes, and loss of subsidies.

Legislative Process
Argentina now has three concurrent ecocide bills navigating the legislative process:
1. Senate Bill – presented in June 2025 by Edith Terenzi (UCR)
2. Chamber of Deputies Bill – introduced by Margarita Stolbizer (GEN) in April 2025 (partly in response to devastating Patagonian wildfires)
3. Chamber of Deputies Bill – introduced by Ana Clara Romero (PRO) in October 2024

Under Argentina’s bicameral system, these bills will undergo committee review in their respective chambers, followed by floor debates and voting. If approved, they must pass to the other chamber for consideration. Should multiple bills advance, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies will need to reconcile any differences between them before final passage – though it’s more likely that one bill will emerge as the primary vehicle rather than all three proceeding simultaneously. Any final legislation would then proceed to the Executive for presidential signature into law.

The Senate Bill is the third ecocide-related proposal to have circulated in the Argentine Congress and is currently the most advanced.

Status
On 9 June 2026, the bill was approved by Senate Committee and allowed to advance to Plenary to await debate by the full Senate. However, on 23 June 2026, following reported controversy generated by the bill, including concerns raised by the agricultural sector, senators from the governing La Libertad Avanza (LLA) who had supported the bill decided to withdraw their signatures. One of those senators, Patricia Bullrich, said that a new proposal would be developed. As a result, the bill is no longer expected to proceed to a Senate vote in its current form.

Involved Organizations