Eradicating Ecocide is the website of Polly Higgins’ effort to introduce a global law of ecocide. She’s a barrister who is on a campaign to get a global law of “Ecocide” introduced . Polly is an impressive woman as you might have seen in either of these two talks of hers – Ecocide, the 5th Crime Against Peace and Dare to be great.
Destroying the ecology, or even just allowing it to be destroyed, is clearing not the right direction for our lives. It’s obviously unsustainable – after we’ve destroyed the planet once, there’s nothing left to destroy for more profits – it’s all gone! The right direction for our lives must include love and respect for the world we were born into and of which we are truly and intrinsically part.
Their definition of Ecocide
ec•o•cide [noun] is the extensive damage to, destruction of 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 or will be severely diminished.
Their Vision
is of a world that has ended the era of Ecocide;
where peace exists and people and planet are put first.
Their Mission
is to seed the required drafting for others to take forward a law of Ecocide, to be fully implemented by all nations by 2020.
Their explanation of why a law of Ecocide is required
This we know because it no longer works to destroy our habitat. A law of Ecocide can be put in place at the very top, as an international crime, over and above all other laws – to prevent mass damage, destruction to or loss of ecosystems. To do this means amending the Rome Statute. This requires a Member State to table it at the next Review Conference (due next year). All nations have been sent a Concept Paper and this website sets out in the public domain the proposal that will change the course of history – should we choose. We can end the era of Ecocide by 2020.
Eradicating Ecocide is a noble goal and one that we surely need. This is an initiative that could really help us get our collective lives going in the right direction and I’d like to wish them all the best.
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