Summary
In 2019, the Federal Deputy Zé Silva submitted an initiative called the Project of Law N ° 2787 to classify the crime of ecocide and criminal conduct of responsibility for a disaster related to the breaking of a dam, altering Law No. 9.605 of 1998. The Project of Law N ° 2787 includes article 54-A, which states, “A cause environmental disaster with significant destruction of flora or mortality of animals, from which contamination atmospheric, water or soil recognized in the report expert.” The penalty for ecocide is 4 to 12 years of imprisonment and 1 to 3 years if the crime is negligent. If the crime involved the death of a person, the penalty is applied independently of the foreseen penalty for the crime of murder. The law was approved by Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies but not yet by the Federal Senate.