Wouldn't it be good news for people and planet if the mass destruction of nature was criminalized under international law?
That world is one major step closer to becoming a reality after the International Criminal Court received a proposal to amend its founding document, the Rome Statute. The change would make Ecocide the fifth international crime, alongside crimes against humanity and genocide. The crime would no longer be a slap on the wrist or a fine, criminal sanctions would apply.
A burgeoning global campaign spearheaded by Stop Ecocide International is behind the milestone. Co-founder Jojo Mehta explained how the main goal of enshrining Ecocide in international law is primarily protective: “It's deterrence.” The amendment also creates “powerful moral as well as legal boundaries, making it clear that extreme levels of harm are not just unlawful but totally unacceptable.”
Led by the low-lying island nation of Vanuatu, after some final year law students came up with the idea a few years ago, the move comes hot on the heels of a study surveying people across G20 countries, which revealed that 72 percent believe that causing environmental damage should be a criminal offence.
National Ecocide laws have been adopted - or are currently being discussed - in parliaments around the world, signaling increasing global support for criminalizing the destruction of nature. Indeed, Belgium has already made ecocide punishable at both national and international levels, making the country the first European nation to recognise ecocide under international law. Therefore, Belgium now recognises ecocide as a fifth ‘international crime’ after war crimes, crimes of aggression, crimes against humanity and genocide.