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Ecocide: The Next Crime Against Peace?
16 Jan
Summary
- Advocates propose ecocide as fifth international crime against peace.
- Island nations Vanuatu, Samoa, and Fiji formally requested its addition in 2024.
- Several countries already have domestic laws criminalizing ecocide since the 1990s.
International legal advocates are championing the recognition of ecocide as the fifth international crime against peace, joining existing statutes like genocide and crimes against humanity. The proposed legal framework aims to classify the large-scale destruction of ecosystems as a punishable offense, shifting perception from a business cost to a criminal act.
This significant call for legal reform has been formally supported by ecologically vulnerable island nations. Vanuatu, Samoa, and Fiji collectively proposed in 2024 that ecocide be officially added to the International Criminal Court's charter. This move reflects growing urgency among nations facing existential threats from climate change.
Several nations have already enacted domestic legislation addressing ecocide-like offenses since the early 1990s, with Belgium most recently amending its penal code in 2023. The global push now seeks to establish clear peacetime laws and accountability thresholds for severe environmental damage, addressing acts of aggression, sabotage, or negligence.
