Creation of an "ecocide offense": environmental defenders disappointed

Barbara Pompili, Minister for the Ecological Transition, and Eric Dupond-Moretti, his counterpart from Justice, will present this Monday, November 23, at midday, to the citizens of the Climate Convention their project to create a "crime". ecocide ”to punish the most serious attacks on nature.

A distant echo of the “crime of ecocide”, which was among the 149 proposals that these French people drawn by lot formulated to reduce France's greenhouse gas emissions and fight against climate change.

Cyril Dion, director and environmental activist, welcomes "an improvement in the law", while deploring that the basic idea has been transformed.

"Using the term ecocide by emptying it of its substance is a bad trick done to citizens, by giving the illusion that they have obtained what they wanted", also deplores Valérie Cabanes, honorary president of Notre Affaire. to all, association for climate justice.

"One more farce"

“It's a communication exercise,” says Arnaud Gossement, “What is presented is, in reality, an idea that dates back several years: the general offense of pollution.

It is a combination of many existing crimes, it will make it possible to simplify… ”

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Corinne Lepage does not appreciate the semantic sleight of hand either.

"This is one more joke," confides the lawyer, who was Minister of the Environment from 1995 to 1997. There is a 2008 Community regulation which obliges Member States to create offenses in their domestic law in matters of environmental protection. environment in all areas.

So we are just twelve years behind.

"

“The only serious penal provisions that exist are for water pollution,” she continues.

There will be progress if we punish offenses that are not yet, such as air or ground.

What is dishonest is to call it ecocide.

It is pipeau.

"

Deliberate endangerment of the environment punished

The penalties will range from three to ten years' imprisonment, and fines from 375,000 euros to 4.5 million euros.

A second offense on "the deliberate endangerment of the environment" will be punishable by one year in prison and 100,000 euros fine.

“That’s really interesting,” observes Mr. Gossement.

It is like endangering the lives of others.

We will not wait for the occurrence of the fault to sanction.

Having to demonstrate the harm once the fault has been committed is not the same as showing that we expose people to risk.

"

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It remains to be seen how environmental justice can be done.

In the Journal du Dimanche, Eric Dupond-Moretti announces the creation of a “specialized jurisdiction”, with, in each court of appeal, a specialized tribunal.

"It's fun for the gallery, but it already exists, sighs Me Lepage, who mentions the public health centers of the high courts of Paris and Marseille, set up in 2002. Except that it does not work, because" they are just three pekins to take care of that.

They have no means… ”