Protecting our oceans through law, business and sailing
Legal protection and accountability Marie Jacobsson, an international law expert with a particular interest in ocean affairs and a former ambassador, explored the relationship between the proposed international crime of ecocide and existing rules protecting the marine environment. Her presentation raised important questions about how an ecocide provision would operate at sea. These included where […]
Environmental Law Professor Jonas Ebbesson urges Sweden to champion international ecocide law
Ebbesson argues that international ecocide law would address serious environmental destruction in both war and peacetime. It would also send a clear signal to businesses and investors, helping steer investment and commercial activity away from practices that cause severe environmental harm. Highlighting support across Swedish civil society and the business community, he urges Sweden to […]
Navi Pillay awarded Nobel Peace Prize: Recognising the Power of International Law
Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize “for her efforts to promote peace and international law”. Her recognition highlights the importance of accountability and the institutions that uphold it – principles that also underpin the movement to recognise ecocide as an international crime. A South African jurist and former UN High […]
Ecocide – A Truly Painful Portfolio Risk
Photo: Nina Macpherson, Alfred Askeljung, Jonas Ebbesson, Johanna Lundgren Gestlöf & Magnus Oden Image credit: Anna Surtevall Nina Macpherson and Anna Surtevall from the Ecocide Law Alliance described their work to engage business sector support for international legislation addressing liability for large-scale environmental destruction by establishing ecocide as a fifth crime under the jurisdiction of […]
Broad Cross-Party Support in Swedish Parliament
Organised by Rebecka Le Moine (Green Party), Jytte Guteland (Social Democrats) and Fredrik Ahlstedt (Moderates), the seminar brought together leading experts in international criminal law, sustainability, and business. Russia’s Destruction of Ukraine’s Nature Demands Legal Accountability Wayne Jordash KC, a leading expert in international criminal law, presented extensive documentation of the environmental destruction caused by […]
Officially Swedish
Ecocide, Swedish ‘ekocid’, has been selected for inclusion in the word list of The Swedish Academy, Svenska Akademiens Ordlista, SAOL for short. While not strictly speaking official, SAOL is the generally referenced norm when it comes to spelling, inflection and, to some extent pronounciation of the Swedish language. Unlike more ephemeral listings, only words that […]
Ecocide Law Reaches the UN Security Council
During the meeting, Professor Charles C. Jalloh of the University of Miami Law School and member of the UN International Law Commission stated that severe environmental damage should be prohibited as a crime under international and national laws. Jalloh, who served on the Independent Expert Panel that developed the legal definition of ecocide, noted that […]
Governments vote for recognition of ecocide at world’s largest conservation congress
The motion passed with a clear majority of votes cast by states and government agencies, and an overwhelming majority among NGOs and Indigenous Peoples organisations*. Motion 061 called on states to recognise ecocide as a serious crime in national and international law and recommended that States Parties to the Rome Statute evaluate an amendment to […]
Broad Swedish Parliamentary Support for Ecocide Law
Broad Political Support for Ecocide Representatives from all non-government parties are calling for ecocide to be criminalised as a stand-alone international crime, demonstrating remarkable cross-party agreement on environmental protection. All parties in opposition— Sweden’s largest political party the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Green Party, and the Left Party—have proposed adding mass environmental destruction […]
Why is international ecocide law so important to business?
Left to right: Vinge’s CEO and managing partner Louise Brorsson Salomon, partner and moderator Johan Cederblad, Eva-Maj Mühlenbock, former chair of the Swedish Bar Association Highlights from the seminar Fair Rules for All Nina Macpherson, Chair of Ecocide Law Alliance, emphasised the need for fair competition: companies that strive to act responsibly […]
