STATEMENT ON ECOCIDE LAW

In the absence of international ecocide law, a small number of highly destructive activities continue to damage the living systems we all depend on.

Making ecocide a crime under the Rome Statute is not in itself sufficient to shift societies to a sustainable state, but we firmly believe that addressing the worst environmental crimes is a good place to start.

The primary objective is preventive: to encourage carefully considered decisions before engaging in activities that may be environmentally very dangerous.

Ecocide has been defined by experts in international criminal law for inclusion in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in the following way:

“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.”

Full proposal, including definition of the key terms. This definition is strong enough to cover the worst crimes, while leaving ample room for sustainable businesses to prosper.

Averting mass destruction and damage of nature will contribute to wellbeing and safety for human beings, nationally and internationally, protect biodiversity, and, by shifting the baseline, create conditions for business on planet Earth that aremore fair, safe and predictable. 

We, the undersigned members of the business community, call on governments to make ecocide a crime before the International Criminal Court.