Legislative Regulation of Criminal Liability for Environmental Crimes in the BRICS Countries

Abstract

Abstract One of the areas of cooperation between the BRICS countries is the joint solution of environmental problems, in particular, air and water pollution by harmful emissions, waste management, climate change, biodiversity conservation, as well as the implementation of joint ‘green’ environmental projects. The aim of the study is to identify the features of criminal environmental protection in the BRICS countries. The leading method for studying this problem is the method of analysis of legal acts of the Russian Federation, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of India, the People’s Republic of China, and the Republic of South Africa, which establish criminal liability for infringements in the field of environmental protection. As a result of the study, the norms contained in the Brazilian Law on Environmental Crimes, in the Criminal Code of Russia, China, as well as in the laws of India and South Africa, which protect the air, land, water, animal, and plant life, were studied. The practical significance of the study is determined by the necessity to introduce liability for environmental crimes in individual countries that are members of the BRICS. It was concluded that it is necessary to develop supranational provisions to ensure environmental protection by legal means.