Sustainable Development Impact Summit 2021

Here’s Why Lawyers And Activists Want To Make ‘Ecocide’ A Crime

A panel co-chaired by legal expert Philippe Sands describes ecocide as an international crime which means the unlawful and wanton acts committed with the knowledge that there’s a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment. The panel hopes that their definition will be recognized by the International Criminal Court. At the same time, an indigenous environmental activist from Chad says we should put the natural world on an equal footing with humanity infringing on nature's rights would then become a crime. But why do these lawyers and activists want to make ecocide a crime?