• Ecocide is the intentional and large-scale destruction of nature.
• Several states are attempting to introduce this crime into their legal systems.
• A regional bill has also been tabled in Sardinia.

Argentina, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Peru. There are several states that are at least attempting to introduce a law on ecocide — that is, the intentional and large-scale destruction of nature — into their legal systems. They have now been joined by an Italian region, Sardinia, with a bill that councillor Lorenzo Cozzolino presented to the Regional Council on 5 June 2025.

The campaign for the recognition of ecocide as a crime

"'Ecocide' means unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts." This is the legal definition of ecocide developed by the experts assembled within the Stop Ecocide coalition.

The ultimate goal this initiative has been working towards for years is to introduce this crime into the Rome Statute, which governs the work of the International Criminal Court. The latter currently has jurisdiction only over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression. It can also prosecute environmental damage, but only when it is linked to an armed conflict — a specific set of circumstances that excludes many others.

This long and complex process has raised awareness on the issue. So much so that some states have decided to act independently; in Italy too, the party Alleanza Verdi Sinistra has tabled a bill. At the European level, negotiations between Parliament, the Commission and the Council concluded with a compromise: the revision of the directive on aligning EU law with environmental protection does not explicitly mention ecocide, but uses a circumlocution to refer to the most serious environmental offences.

What the ecocide bill presented in Sardinia proposes

This is the context in which the ecocide bill presented to the Sardinian Regional Council on 5 June was drawn up. The text, which adopts a definition of ecocide very close to that developed by international experts, states explicitly that its intent is not purely punitive: "The focus is, in fact, on an integrated strategy that combines awareness-raising, prevention, monitoring, education, sanctions and remediation."

In practical terms, if this measure were to be approved, public and private entities intending to launch a potentially high-risk project would be required to submit an Ecocide Risk Assessment, in addition to the Environmental Impact Assessment, the Strategic Environmental Assessment and the Integrated Environmental Authorisation. The region, in parallel, would be required to strengthen monitoring. Those responsible for serious environmental damage would have to fund restoration works at their own expense, would be barred for up to ten years from public tenders, contracts and grants, and would face the legal compensation claims that the region pledges to support.

Another fundamental aspect is knowledge and awareness-raising, through educational programmes and public campaigns, the creation of a Regional Observatory for Ecological Justice, and the designation of 5 June as the Regional Day for the Prevention of Ecocide in Sardinia.