Summary
On July 30, 2023, a new bill was submitted to the Mexican Parliament to add an article to Mexico’s Federal Penal Code to criminalize ecocide. The bill considers ecocide “any unlawful or wanton act committed with the knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment” – language based on the legal definition of ecocide formulated by experts convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation in 2021.
If passed, the bill would impose a sentence of 10 to 15 years in prison and a fine of 1,000 to 1,500 pesos per day for anyone who commits ecocide.
The bill has been passed to the Justice, Environment and Natural Resources Committees for consultation.
Mexico joins the EU, Brazil, the Netherlands, Scotland, Spain (Catalunya), and Belgium in having ecocide bills at various stages of proposal.