A colleague has just been in touch with me to highlight a campaign to make “Ecocide” an international crime. It’s not a subject that I have looked into, but it looks like something worth thinking about. Follow the link for more information:
http://www.eradicatingecocide.com/what-you-can-do/
Ecocide is the “crime” of extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystems of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of the territory has been severely diminished. This is certainly not something specific to Sussex, indeed most of the discussion is at international level – examples of “ecocide” given include the Amazon rainforest, the Athabasca Tar Sands in Canada and the oil spills in the Gulf of Mexico and the Niger Delta.
The proposal to adopt Ecocide as an international crime against Peace has been put to the United Nations by British environmental lawyer, Polly Higgins. World leaders attending the Earth Summit in Rio in June 2012 will have the opportunity to agree to outlaw Ecocide (but they may need a little persuading!)
An enforceable law would help close off the flow of damage and destruction at source, and encourage investment into more responsible business activities, turning hopes of a green economy into reality at last.
There are many ways you can help. One is to write to David Cameron to ensure he is aware of the importance of attending the Earth Summit. Also the Eradicating Ecocide website (above) is full of ideas, and you’ll easily see what is yours to do. Be sure to check out “The Ecocide Earth Summit Strategy”.
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I retired as Chief Executive of the Sussex Wildlife Trust in July 2018 after having worked there for about 27 years (12 years as CEO). I am now an independant ecologist active in Sussex and elsewhere. The views expressed in this blog are my own.
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