Earlier this month I was very pleased to be invited to live illustrate a to discuss the opportunities, challenges and implications that a new crime of ecocide presents for the UK’s domestic and foreign policies. This workshop was the first of its kind and brought together politician and activists actively engaged in the subject.
Ecocide means the mass damage and destruction of the environment. It is currently the subject of a global campaign spearheaded by Stop Ecocide International. Working closely with global networks of diplomats, lawyers, parliamentarians, and civil society organisations, this campaign is pushing for ecocide to be recognised as an international crime.
While only 13 countries currently recognise a distinct crime of ecocide under their domestic laws, national bills or proposals on ecocide are currently being discussed in over 10 national parliaments. In the UK, Camden became the first UK council in September 2023 to call for ecocide’s recognition as an international crime – and a Private Member’s Bill on ecocide (Ecocide Bill) was recently introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Boycott.
Read more about this workshop in this article.