Rights of Nature

Ecocide

Ecocide introduces a legal transformation that makes legible that reckless habitat and biodiversity destruction is a crime. Formally defined as “the extensive loss or damage or destruction 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 or will be severely diminished.”

There is an active campaign to include Ecocide Law in the Rome Statute. If adopted, the International Criminal Court (ICC) would gain the ability to prosecute ecocide under universal jurisdiction. This would elevate ecocide to the same level as the four crimes against peace: Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, and Crimes of Aggression.