Legal experts worldwide draw up ‘historic’ definition of ecocide

UngulateNerd92

UngulateNerd92

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Draft law is intended to prosecute offences against the environment.

Legal experts from across the globe have drawn up a “historic” definition of ecocide, intended to be adopted by the international criminal court to prosecute the most egregious offences against the environment.

The draft law, unveiled on Tuesday, defines ecocide as “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts”.

The Stop Ecocide Foundation initiative comes amid concerns that not enough is being done to tackle the climate and ecological crisis.

If adopted by the ICC’s members, it would become just the fifth offence the court prosecutes – alongside war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and the crime of aggression – and the first new international crime since the 1940s when Nazi leaders were prosecuted at the Nuremberg trials.

https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...ldwide-draw-up-historic-definition-of-ecocide
 
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If there were to be a trial for ecocide a la Nuremberg 1945 / Tokyo 1946 then I am absolutely certain that Bolsonaro, Salles and about 90 % of his administration would go to the gallows as they are the ecocidal equivalents of Eichmann and Tojo.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
If there were to be a trial for ecocide a la Nuremberg 1945 / Tokyo 1946 then I am absolutely certain that Bolsonaro, Salles and about 90 % of his administration would go to the gallows as they are the ecocidal equivalents of Eichmann and Tojo.
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I would agree! I do believe that Jair Bolsonaro and other members of his administration should be prosecuted and jailed. Same with Donald Trump and much of his administration for policies that contributed to ecocide.
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
I would agree! I do believe that Jair Bolsonaro and other members of his administration should be prosecuted and jailed. Same with Donald Trump and much of his administration for policies that contributed to ecocide.
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Oh I definitely agree with you about that.

Perhaps this might sound a tad extreme but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they brought back Nuremberg / Tokyo trial era capital punishment for these crimes / criminals either.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Oh I definitely agree with you about that.

Perhaps this might sound a tad extreme but I actually wouldn't mind at all if they brought back Nuremberg / Tokyo trial era capital punishment for these crimes / criminals either.
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Oh no, extreme problems (which ecocide is one) call for extreme solutions! I very much wholeheartedly agree with you on that!
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
No! I very much wholeheartedly agree with you on that!
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I know that the way I expressed that may sound a bit extreme.

But I do think we need to be honest as the eventual ecological impact of these crimes committed by these criminals on future generations will be horrific and will lead to mass mortality and suffering on an unimaginable scale.

To me that is somehow morally equivalent to any atrocities that the Nazis or Imperial Japanese committed before and during WW2.

Moreover, when it comes to Bolsonaro he is actually genocidal and is explicitly committing a genocide against indigenous peoples of the Amazon by proxy in the present and I believe that these crimes must be punished by law.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I know that the way I expressed that may sound a bit extreme.

But I do think we need to be honest as the eventual ecological impact of these crimes committed by these criminals on future generations will be horrific and will lead to mass mortality and suffering on an unimaginable scale and to me that is somehow morally equivalent to anything that the Nazis or Imperial Japanese did before and during WW2.

Moreover, when it comes to Bolsonaro he is actually genocidal and is explicitly committing a genocide against indigenous peoples of the Amazon by proxy in the present and I believe that these crimes must be punished by law.
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Again, I totally agree with you!
 
Here is another relevant article.

How 165 Words Could Make Mass Environmental Destruction An International Crime

Mass environmental destruction, known as ecocide, would become an international crime similar to genocide and war crimes under a proposed new legal definition.

The definition's unveiling last week by a panel of 12 lawyers from around the world marks a big first step in the global campaign's efforts to prevent future environmental disasters like the deforestation of the Amazon or actions that contribute to climate change.

There are currently four core international crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. These crimes are dealt with by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

How 165 Words Could Make Mass Environmental Destruction An International Crime
 
I think the idea is great and hope it gets accepted by the panel.

However my worry is that it is more symbolic than practical and could just end up as more of a toothless platitude than an actual deterrent against and punishment for mass environmental crimes.

I suspect that even if adopted by the panel it would be incredibly hard to enforce and bring to justice violators.

That said I would love to see Salles and Bolsonaro tried in an international criminal court like the Balkan war criminals of the 1990's have been.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I think the idea is great and hope it gets accepted by the panel.

However my worry is that it is more symbolic than practical and could just end up as more of a toothless platitude than an actual deterrent against and punishment for mass environmental crimes.

I suspect that even if adopted by the panel it would be incredibly hard to enforce and bring to justice violators.

That said I would love to see Salles and Bolsonaro tried in an international criminal court like the Balkan war criminals of the 1990's have been.
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I have the same exact concerns as you. If it does come to fruition, I worry about it getting watered down...

I would also like to see Ricardo Salles and Jair Bolsonaro on the Brazilian side as well as Donald Trump and his Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and his Director of the EPA Andrew Wheeler on the American side be criminally prosecuted in international court! Pardon my digression, but it has always bothered me that an oil lobbyist was placed in charge of the Department of the Interior and a coal lobbyist was placed in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
I have the same exact concerns as you. If it does come to fruition, I worry about it getting watered down...

I would also like to see Ricardo Salles and Jair Bolsonaro on the Brazilian side as well as Donald Trump and his Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt and his Director of the EPA Andrew Wheeler on the American side be criminally prosecuted in international court! Pardon my digression, but it has always bothered me that an oil lobbyist was placed in charge of the Department of the Interior and a coal lobbyist was placed in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Yes same here if it was to be put into motion then I would worry about these sorts of figures dodging arrest and living large for decades if not the rest of their lives all the while laughing at international law.

Not at all it's your thread and I agree about both the positions these figures were given and the need for Trump and his cronies to face justice.

In fact I think that the Bolsonaro administration effectively modelled themselves on the Trump administration and never really made a secret of it either.

Here we still have agribusiness lobbyists being put in charge of the environment agency and Evangelical pastors being put in charge of indigenous protection agency in what are open attempts to both erode the strengths of these governing bodies while making a mockery of them.
 
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