Developing ecocide law.
A growing number of leading scientists, from a broad range of scientific disciplines all over the world, are calling on governments to make ecocide a crime within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) - to deliver a future in harmony with nature.
It is widely recognised that humanity stands at a crossroads.
There is clear scientific evidence that the emission of greenhouse gases and the destruction of ecosystems at current rates will have catastrophic consequences for our common environment. Along with political, diplomatic and economic initiatives, international law has a role to play in transforming our relationship with the natural world, shifting that relationship from one of harm to one of harmony.
Ecocide means 'unlawful or wanton
acts committed with knowledge that
there is a substantial likelihood of
severe and either widespread or long-term
damage to the environment
being caused by those acts'
The inadequacies of current global environmental governance are widely acknowledged. National and international laws are in place to contribute to the protection of the natural systems upon which our well-being depends, yet it is apparent that such laws are inadequate and more is needed.
The inclusion of ecocide in the Rome Statute¹ would add a new crime to international criminal law which could contribute to a change of consciousness, in support of a new direction, one that enhances the protection of the environment and supports a more collaborative and effective legal framework for our common future on a shared planet.
It offers a new and practical legal tool, one that has been developed by a team of internationally recognized legal experts².
Scientific knowledge provides a firm foundation for this amendment, and thus the scientific community can support our colleagues from legal professions in this endeavour.
We, the undersigned scientists, call on governments to collaborate internationally to make ecocide a crime within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
¹ The Rome Statute is the founding document of the International Criminal Court
² For more information, see ‘Independent Expert Panel Commentary and Core Text’. This document is the source of the legal reasons for adding ecocide to the Rome Statute. Cf. the Introduction to the document.
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The Crime of Ecocide through Human Rights. Kate Mackintosh, Executive Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights Law at UCLA and Lisa Oldring. The Asser Institute.
Ecocide Law for the Paris Agreement and Ecocide Law for an Economy within Planetary Boundaries. Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir, Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland and Jonas Roupé. Wellbeing Economy Alliance and the Schumacher Institute in collaboration with End Ecocide Sweden.
Endorsing scientists include:
Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland. Member of Academia Europaea since 2012, member of the sustainability think tanks the Balaton Group and the Club of Rome.
Professor of Energy and Climate Change, University of Manchester.
PhD in experimental physics from Harvard, former co-chair of United Nations Environment Programme’s International Resource Panel (UNEP-IRP) and former Chair of the Club of Rome.
Professor Emeritus, University of British Columbia. Award-winning geneticist, broadcaster, world leader in sustainable ecology, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.
Director of climate reporting and adaptation at the Icelandic Met Office. Former assistant professor at University of Iceland.
Researcher specialized in holistic, integrated and sustainable agriculture and food systems. Winner of the Right Livelihood Award.
Professor of Epidemiology. University of York.
Professor Doctor in Biological Sciences in CSIC (Spanish Council for Scientific Research), President of the Spanish Association for Terrestrial Ecology and Director of the Chilean-Spanish Global Change Laboratory LINCGlobal.
Professor at Biology Department. University of La Serena of Chile and researcher at Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity (CASEB) at Catholic University of Chile.
Full Professor of Ecology Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Spain).
Agroecology, agroecosystem management, pollination biology and natural pest regulation.
Professor in Transport Policy and Transport planning. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.
Professor of Chemical Meteorology, Stockholm University.
Professor, University of Iceland
Cecilia Emanuelsson
Professor Emeritus, Lund University
Bo Franzén
Associate Professor, Karolinska Institutet
Magnuz Engardt
Associate Professor, Stockholm University
Ian Roderick
Director, The Schumacher Institute
Nina Meyerhof
President & Co-Founder, One Humanity Institute
Lara Stein
Founder TEDx, Founder Regenerative Consulting
Jeannette Eggers
PhD, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Lina Isacs
PhD, Uppsala University
Jennifer Hinton
PhD, Lund University
Tomáš Chabada
PhD, Masaryk University
Iryna Nikolaieva
Environmental Expert, PhD, PAX
Esther Hauer
PhD, Uppsala University
Svea Jörgensen
DVM, PhD Student in Veterinary Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Studies
David Alcer
PhD Student, Lund University
Ingrid Stjernquist
Senior Researcher, Stockholm university
Marie Kvarnström
Senior Programme Officer, Swedish Biodiversity Centre at Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Glenn Bark
Senior Lecturer, Luleå University of Technology
Reynir Böðvarsson
Seismologist, Uppsala University
Dr. Marie Schellens
Environmental Researcher, PAX for Peace
Dr. Maartje Oostdijk
University of Iceland
Dr. Miles Woodruff
Durham University
Dr. Paul Conville
University of Leicester
Niak Koh
Sustainability science / PhD / Dr, Stockholm University
Mark Otieno
Ph.D, University of Embu
Fernando Valladares
Professor Doctor in Biological Sciences, CSIC, Spanish Council for Scientific Research
Romina Martin
PhD, Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University
Brynhildur Magnusdottir
M.Sc Geology, Icelandic Geological Association
Erik Huss
Postgraduate Geographer, Glaciology, Climate & Earth System Science, Husstainability AB
Göran Finnveden
Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Sarah Cornell
Associate Professor, Stockholm University
Krzysztof Jurdzinski
MSc, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Mahwash Jamy
PhD, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Ana Traveset
CSIC, Spanish Council for Scientific Research, and IMEDEA, Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies
Max Waltman
Halmstad University
Björn-Ola Linnér
Linköping University
Malin Ah-king
Stockholm University
Aubin Franck Chardin TCHIBINDA
Observatoire Congolais
des Droits de l'Homme
Olga Garcia Moreno
University of Oviedo
Sian Prior
Clean Arctic Alliance
Göran Englund
Umeå Univeristy
Myriam Prasow-Émond
Imperial College London
Richard Richardson
McGill University
Eloy Fassi Casagrande Junior
Federal University of Technology of Paraná - UTFPR - Brazil
Professor, Fordham University
Egill Einarsson
Assistant Professor, Keilir Institute of Technology
Elina Eriksson
Associate Professor, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Stewart Wallis
Chair, Wellbeing Economy Alliance
Steven McFadden
Director, DeepAgroecology.org
Hiroo Saionji
President, Goi Peace Foundation
Margret Rueffler
PHD, MA, Dipl.AC, pppi.net
Nadia Johanisova
PhD, Masaryk University
Olle Lundberg
PhD, Uppsala University
Ester Gubi
PhD, Karolinska Institutet
Neshan Gunasekera
Raoul Wallenberg Institute
Johan Lindsjö
Sweden
Anupam Saraph
Balaton Group
Maria Wolrath Söderberg
Docent, Södertörn University
Johanna Zingmark
BSc, SciCom
Guðrún Magnúsdóttir
Iceland
Minna Laurell Thorslund
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Dr. Ingi Bjarnason
University of Iceland
Dr. Ayo Ayoola-Amale
First Conflict Resolution Services
Dr. Shahid Yamin
Sultan Qaboos Unversity, Muscat Oman
Carlotta Schäfer
Msc, Stockholm Resilience Centre
Ólafur Ingólfsson
PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Iceland
Toby Call
PhD, Cambridge University
Thomas Hahn
Associate Professor, Stockholm University
Per Ribbing
Licentiate of Technology Engineering Physics, Uppsala University
Caroline Greiser
PhD, Stockholm University
Ernesto Gianoli
Professor and researcher, Center for Advanced Studies in Ecology and Biodiversity (CASEB), University of La Serena and Catholic University of Chile
Regína Ósk
Masters Student, University of Iceland
Vilma Havas
PhD cand., Salt Lofoten and Aalborg University
Daniel Lundin
PhD/Researcher, Stockholm University and Linnaeus University
Fredrik von Malmborg
Associate Professor in Political Science, Linköping University
Sumit Kothari
Doctoral Researcher, University College London
Renée Kolentine
University of Toronto
Maria Alejandra Martinez Barrientos
Universidad Catolica Boliviana San Pablo
Emelie Nilsson
Linnaeus University
George Westmeijer
Linnaeus University
Robin Cooper
University of Gothenburg
Dr. Claudia Ituarte Lima
Raoul Wallenberg Institute on Human Rights & Humanitarian Law
Noely Garcia
Southern New Hampshire University
Alasdair Skelton
Stockholm University
Myriam Prasow-Émond
Imperial College London
Neus Crous-Costa
Universitat de Girona
Hope Legbara
Post Graduate Student, University of Uyo
Peter J. Stauvermann
Changwon National University, Changwon, Republic of Korea
Professor, Østfold University College, Norway
Beth Fisher
Assistant Professor, Minnesota State University
Paul Glantz
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Stockholm University
Rio de la Vista
Director, Salazar Rio Grande Del Norte Center
Hunter Lovins
President, Natural Capitalism Solutions
Isabelle Letellier
PHD, Senior Lecturer, Stockholm University
Oksana Huliaieva
PhD, Ukrhydroenergo
Karin Gerhardt
PhD, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Lyndon DeVantier
PhD, Coral Reef Research
Alicia Landin Quiros
Msc, Stockholm Resilience Center
Bidisha Banerjee
M.Esc., The Balaton Group
Patrik Gažo
Mgr., Masaryk university
Harald Waxenecker
MA, Masaryk University
Claudiu Eduard Nedelciu
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Bergen
Johanna Spångberg
Researcher, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU
Sally Ranney
Global Choices
Julia Weiss
University of Chicago
Dr. Morne Mostert
Strategic Foresight Advisor
Dr. Liesbeth Rijsdijk
Windesheim University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Johanna Gisladottir
Agricultural University of Iceland
Dr. Ganna Gladkykg
EERA
Sylwia Lewandowska
SWPS University / Resilience21
Stig-Olof Holm
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Umeå University
Guy Kalasi
PhD, Environmental law, University of Kinshasa
Linnea Hanell
PhD, Stockholm University
Petter Kallioinen
PhD Student, Department of Linguistics, Stockholm University
Henning Rodhe
Professor Emer., Stockholm University
Adrian Escudero
Full Professor of Ecology, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Marisol Maddox
Senior Arctic Analyst, The Wilson Center
Bo Franzen
Assoc. Professor, Karolinska Institutet
Dennis Amnebrink
PhD Student, Linnaeus University
Ken Seidenman
PhD, Northwestern University
Íñigo Álvarez de Toledo
Toledo, Human Ecology
Guénola Nonet
Jönköping International Business School
Alex Hearn
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Randall Arauz
Marine Watch International
Karolina Eriksson
Umeå University
Oscar Joel de la Barrera Benavidez
Bionovation SAPI de CV
William Mueller
Lake Michigan Bird Observatory
Noely Garcia
Southern New Hampshire University
Lisa Deutsch
Stockholm University, Stockholm Resilience Centre
Muhammed Kaya
Bremen University
Erick Githaiga
Maseno University International Relations Scholars Association