Brazil

On the 5th of June 2023, the Brazilian political party Partido Socialismo e Liberdade (PSOL) submitted a draft Ecocide Bill to the Brazilian Congress. Ecocide Law Advisory worked closely with PSOL, Ecoe Brasil to craft this vital legislation, drawing on its international experience assisting lawmakers with ecocide laws in the EU and beyond.

Designed with their expertise, this proposed law would criminalize acts that knowingly cause significant, widespread, or lasting harm to the environment. Ecocide Law Advisory’s efforts included in-depth research and direct contributions to the bill’s language, framing it to provide robust protection for Brazil’s irreplaceable ecosystems, especially the Amazon rainforest, which faces escalating threats from environmental exploitation.

Paulo Busse, Ecocide Law Advisory’s leading Brazil expert who helped shape the bill, stated, “This Ecocide Bill was designed to deliver essential safeguards for Brazil’s Amazon and other biomes under constant threat. In doing so, it also provides support to indigenous and traditional communities who depend on and protect these natural environments.”

Ecocide Law Advisory’s co-founder Richard J Rogers added, “The work we’ve done with PSOL on the Ecocide Bill illustrates how impactful ecocide laws can be in preventing the most severe environmental harm and addressing climate change. By submitting this bill, PSOL has taken a visionary step forward, and we look forward to continuing our support as it progresses through Congress.”

On November 8th 2023, the Environment and Sustainable Development Committee of the Deputies Chamber of the Brazilian Congress voted to approve the text of this bill. It will now be the subject of a public hearing in the Amazon and Indigenous and Traditional Peoples Commission (CPOVOS), with the aim of debating the classification of the crime of ecocide.