Today is World Day for International Justice.
This is an international day celebrated throughout the world on 17th July as part of an effort to recognize the emerging system of international criminal justice. It is the date of the adoption of the treaty that created the International Criminal Court. On 1st June 2010, at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute held in Kampala in Uganda, the Assembly of State Parties decided to celebrate 17th July as the World Day for International Justice.
In recent years, there has been a strong campaign to add ecocide as a 5th crime under the Rome Statute. The world is finally waking up to the logic of making ecocide an international crime.
I have previously written about ecocide here and here.
Protecting the future of life on Earth means stopping the mass damage and destruction of ecosystems taking place globally. This serious harm to nature is known as ecocide. Right now, in most of the world, no-one is held responsible for it. It is time to change the law. It is time to make ecocide an international crime. Lawyers, diplomats and civil society have been working towards amending the Rome Statute to include a crime of ecocide.
In June 2021, the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide convened by the Stop Ecocide Foundation has concluded its drafting work.
Ecocide has now been legally defined as "unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts".
The Guardian - Legal experts worldwide draw up ‘historic’ definition of ecocide
In the UK, Baroness (Natalie) Bennett, former leader of the UK Green Party, has submitted an ecocide amendment to the Environment Bill currently making its way through the House of Lords.
This is the first time a potential crime of ecocide has been recorded in a UK Government bill and it is likely to be discussed before Parliament goes into recess for the summer. The amendment, if passed in both Houses of Parliament, would see the UK lead on an amendment to the Rome Statute to establish an international crime of ecocide.
This is a real political opportunity for the UK Government. Let's hope they don't fail us.
Stop ecocide. Change the law. Protect the earth.
“The rules of our world are laws, and they can be changed. Laws can restrict or they can enable. What matters is what they serve. Many of the laws in our world serve property ... they are based on ownership. But imagine a law that has a higher moral authority… a law that puts people and planet first. Imagine a law that starts from first do no harm, that stops this dangerous game and takes us to a place of safety….” Polly Higgins
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