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Environmental crimes in Uruguay: Ortuño signs bill for tougher penalties
🇺🇾 Uruguay /Environment & Climate

Environmental crimes in Uruguay: Ortuño signs bill for tougher penalties

From El País · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement New plan
  • Uruguay's Environment Minister Edgardo Ortuño announced a new draft law to combat environmental crimes.
  • The proposed legislation aims to establish a more severe legal framework with increased penalties for severe environmental damage.
  • The bill, which includes chapters on biodiversity, pollution, and false information, will be sent to Parliament for approval in 2026.

Uruguay is moving towards a stricter legal framework for environmental offenses, with Environment Minister Edgardo Ortuño announcing the signing of a draft law on environmental crimes. Speaking on World Environment Day, Ortuño emphasized the need for "concrete actions" from the government, academia, social organizations, and the scientific community to protect nature.

Uruguay advances towards a more severe legal framework to punish serious damage to nature.

— Edgardo OrtuñoStating the objective of the new draft law on environmental crimes.

Ortuño highlighted that while Uruguay currently has a system of fines for environmental infractions, the new proposal seeks to complement this by incorporating a specific chapter on environmental crimes into the Penal Code. He recalled that a similar initiative gained partial approval in the previous legislature, passing the Senate but failing in the Chamber of Deputies. The current government has committed to reviving this effort, urging "the entire political system to achieve definitive approval of an environmental crimes law during 2026."

In addition to promoting the protection of ecosystems, it is necessary to establish more important measures and sanctions against actions that imply a violation or attack on natural heritage.

— Edgardo OrtuñoExplaining the need for stronger penalties beyond current fines.

The proposed law is structured around four key areas: crimes against biodiversity, with aggravated penalties for offenses in protected areas; crimes related to air and water pollution; offenses concerning environmental management, such as submitting false information; and actions that obstruct control tasks. It also includes a system of progressive sanctions tailored to the severity of each infraction. The minister expressed confidence in Uruguay's "solid foundation to advance in this direction," citing recent measures in water quality, electric vehicle batteries, construction waste, and food waste management, as well as new tools for wetland protection and stormwater management to adapt to climate change.

The entire political system to achieve definitive approval of an environmental crimes law during 2026.

— Edgardo OrtuñoCalling for political consensus to pass the proposed legislation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El País in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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