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Snapshot 6:Tue, Sep 10, 2024 6:20:41 PM GMT last edited by kiera22

Pacific islands submit court proposal for recognition of ecocide as a crime

Pacific islands submit court proposal for recognition of ecocide as a crime

Above: Repsol workers clean up an oil leak at Cavero Beach in Ventanilla, Peru, on January 20, 2022. Waves attributed to the eruption of underwater volcano Tonga's Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai produced an oil spill on the coast of Lima. Image copyright: Marcos Reategui / Stringer/ Getty Images News via Getty Images***PLEASE REPLACE WATERMARKED IMAGE***

The Spin

Ecocide, the destruction of nature, destruction—should be a global crime. Revising the Rome Statute of the ICC would criminalize environmental devastation, the fourth most lucrative unlawful activity in the world, which costs $258B annually. ItThis designation would enable the Paris Agreement to force nations to reduce emissions. A global climate emergency requireswould require us to modify the laws; existing regulations will not save the climateplanet.

It is admirable to devote so much time and effort to developing the notion of ecocide, but it is far from acceptable to everyone. The definition needs additional work. However, the exercise has always had a symbolic nature because it is unlikely that two-thirds of state parties will approve an ecocide amendment. Those states most prone to ecocide would likely reject the amendment. Additionally, the US, China, India, and Russia, which are not signatories to the ICC, further complicate the situation.


The Controversies



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