Governments and big business leaders should be made criminals if they allow actions that damage the planet.

That’s the finding of a survey of 18 G20 nations (some of the world’s richest countries, including the UK) plus Austria, Denmark, Kenya, and Sweden.

Nearly three out of four (72%) of the 1,000 people who took part in the poll said it should be a criminal offence for governments or large businesses to approve actions that cause serious damage to nature and the climate.

The study was carried out for Earth4All and the Global Commons Alliance. It followed recent “ecocide” (destroying the environment) law changes in Belgium, Chile and France, with similar bills put forward in countries including Scotland, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands and Peru.