A CRIME AGAINST PEACE
Ecocide is the extensive destruction, damage to or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been severely diminished.
This is the proposed legal definition of ecocide.
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“whether by human agency or by other causes”
I would be interested in a definition of “other causes”. I think the focus can only be on human activities. Surely volcanic activity is not meant here.
Other causes are external events; what is referred to in law as a force majeure or an ‘act of God’, such as flooding or an earthquake. Such events can be termed ‘non-acertainable ecocide’ as no one perpetrator can be identified. Ecocide caused by human agency is ‘ascertainable ecocide’. Here, the individual responsible for the activity which has resulted in ecocide can be identified.
I would like it if you could add all the trees of the world to your ecocide list. They are all dying from toxic greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil and biofuels.
See http://www.witsendnj.blgospot.com for photographs and links to scientific research.
I hope you can get an ecocide law in place to stop this madness!
Perhaps if the the term ‘Man-made Global Warming’ was changed to ‘Women-made Global warming’ all these crackpot women would shut up.
I hope it is worth mentioning that the whole shipping industry has very little regulation or control of the traditional method of dumping rubbish at sea. In the metiteranean it is illegal and it has strict penalties, however the Atlantic and UK shores which I know there is almost nothing being done. In the UK we still have a continuous level of poisining of the environment from human waste, rubbish and chemicals used in our everyday lives which end up in the sea. The sea covers 2/3 of the world and is probably the easiest place to dump stuff and get away with it! You only need to go for a [pleasure trip in the solent or the Thames to see the rubbish that floats – what about the rubbish that sinks?!
Ecocide should be a law ASAP; it would give the earth a voice, and allow people to use the law and stand up against unscrupulous business ideas.
The definition for ecocide sets out two types of ecocide – acertainable and non-acertainable ecocide. Non-ascertainable ecocide describes the consequence, or potential consequence, where there is destruction, damage or loss to the territory per se, but without specific identification of cause as being that which has been created by specific human activity eg. destruction caused by hurricane, volcanic activity, rising sea levels.
Ascertainable ecocide describes the consequence, or potential consequence, where there is destruction, damage or loss to the territory, and liability of the legal person(s) can be determined. The destruction of large areas of the environment and ecosystems can be caused directly or indirectly by various activities, such as nuclear testing, exploitation of resources, extractive practices, dumping of harmful chemicals, use of defoliants, emission of pollutants or war.
It is ascertainable ecocide that is proposed as an international crime. However, for the purposes of law, non-ascertainable ecocide can still be actionable in certain cases where a duty of care exists for territories that have been subject to, or are at risk of, ecocide. For instance, where trust obligations exist.
I would like to ask the site to add a couple of things.
It would be good to see if the comments are coming from people above or below the age of 40.
Whether you agree with Ecocide or not, we are doing damage to the planet for future generations, we can change our lifestyles – especially in the rich developed nations.
It will be the next generations that will suffer…and they will be paying your pensions. If they decide the older lot have shafted their futures, maybe you should consider what you are writing and make sure they are happy with their future.
We are all online..why are we driving to work? why do kids have to go to school miles away and be driven in the UK? Why does it cost so much to have your home converted to be able to be sustainable? Why are there more shopping centres? Why is the government increasing the motorway lanes, and the prices of public transport?
We need some laws to be able to challenge..grass roots is not working fast enough…..those who support NUK power, let the government know where you live…they can locate it next to you. I would rather a wind turbine, and some solar panels, a bike and proper bike lanes myself.
Go Ecocide..good luck to Polly for standing up!! I wish I was so brave
I strongly concur with the definition of Ecocide as to be used in the International law. Leaving in Africa and being a young person at 30 have seen how the consequences of Earth destructions are impacting on our lives and on our future generations. we are bequething our future generations a doomed Earth uncapable of inharbiting if we can’t act now. with such law being passed it will enhance and support the efforts being undertaken to curtail violation of our mother planet.
Let’s be realitic on our actions, even the Industires should not only mind of their profits but the future of their business.
The worst argument for ecosystem destruction is the alleviation of poverty! In actual fact ecocide creates poverty in the name of creating wealth. African farms and others in the world are being leased (verrryyy long leases) to investment companies to produce food for their own countries and jobs for the local companies – anyone can clearly see that this is a new wave of colonialism as did happen when the slaves in europe, america and arab countries were shipped as they could not feed themselves and therefore taken to far way lands to till lands in return for a bowl of food that they probably did not like and was probably monotonous and meted out in the most unsavoury way. Let us not pretend that we are avoiding hunger and examine ourselves and it is clear to see that the origin of the problem is in extraction and exploitation. Let us not be pretentious to spend millions of dollars on genocide with guns while the biggest genocide is in all our backyards – industrial exploitation of resources and uneccessary conspicuous consumption. Go Polly and let us know how we can help!
Dear Polly,
You are a woman of my heart.
Milieu Defensie in Holland refused to publish my writings about how serious I saw the matter of pollution,cutting of trees in order to favour human activities,finising of other lives in order to give our own species a chance.I stated that it will soon be of the same magnitude as directly taking others lives.It is just a matter of time.
Hope you will go on and have the right supporters.
Marcel Sommer
This is so disturbing!
I’m trying to research ecocide as part of an extended project qualification and have come across some questions i’m unable to find the answers to.
firstly, why is it that we need ecocide in our international law, it sounds as though the current international environmental law covers marine pollution and most damage caused to the environment.
secondly, what will it take for this law to be passed on an international level and what immediate effects would it have?
thirdly, could you give an example of an event that would be deemed an ecocide crime and what kind of actions would be put into place to human agency that caused it? would it pin point the blame on individuals?
I am very curious to hear the answers to Jessica Isotta’s questions too. I realise that there are huge problems in international law, with treaties and conventions made but not being implemented. How would ecocide improve the situation further?
Naming Ecocriminals: I am not proficient at navigating websites (I dont know what a XHTML tag is) and need assistance to find a stream which promotes naming alleged ecocriminals where they can defend themselves. In the coming chaotic world I doubt that any international court will survive but local communities will (in some form) and may wish to meet out justice to those of whom they have evidence of causing the climate-related chaos.The internet may not then be available then so now is the time to gather evidence and enable those accused to mount a defense.This action may also deter those considering ecocrimes.
Hi folks the real issue is not anthropogenic or man-made ecocide. The real issue is industrial human made ecocide! The dominant culture we find ourselves in is pathologically suicidally insane, and not who we are as human animals. The fact that we identify so closely with this global industrial culture (so-called “civilisation”) as the way humans are supposed to live, and continue to ignore the remnants of indigenous people who have pointed out our insanity for 6,000-10,000 years, is a sure sign to me that collapse is inevitable, and necessary. There’s way too much hubris, political naivety and entitle-ism amongst industrial humans. That need to be either knocked down. At least 120 species go to extinction today. They are our kin. We either change or join the die-off…
“Exciting times” !
Ted Howard
Nelson, New Zealand
Greening
Unfortunately it is big corporations who rule the world, whose CEOs, directors would not want to leave their comfort zones, who are unbelieving and uncaring about the damage they do. However, it is also large sections of the world population who do not either wish to know, are ignorant of, frightened, or unwilling to leave their comfort zones. Unless it can be brought home to the former, such as not buying their goods/services, etc., lobbying them continuously, plus governments, and trying ourselves to go as green as possible, not waste nor destroy, nor do nothing, then we will eventually destroy all that lives on this planet.