Tag: Ecocide

Rising hope worldwide: ecocide law gains momentum in recent developments

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nature-clouds-hdr-phenomenon, 19 August 2014, 20:21, Wikimedia Commons
nature-clouds-hdr-phenomenon, 19 August 2014, 20:21, Wikimedia Commons

Global ecocide law movement promises a sustainable tomorrow

The growing global momentum for an ecocide law reflects a heightened awareness of the imperative to protect the environment for future generations. As nations unite to combat ecocide, hope for a sustainable and secure future strengthens.

Netherlands proposes ecocide law

In the Netherlands, Member of Parliament Lammert van Raan of Partij voor de Dieren (Party for the Animals) has introduced a law proposal to criminalize ecocide. The proposal, which aims to hold individuals accountable for serious environmental damage caused by human actions or inaction, is currently undergoing a four-week public consultation period. If approved by Parliament, the bill will become law, reflecting the growing social opinion on the importance of protecting the environment. This move is seen as a significant step towards preventing ecocide globally, with various organizations, including Stop Ecocide NL and Stop Ecocide International, supporting the initiative.

OSCE calls for international ecocide law

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has made a groundbreaking endorsement, urging its participating States to incorporate ecocide as a concept in national and international law. This endorsement, part of the Final Declaration from the 30th Annual Session in Vancouver, highlights the rising concern over microplastic and nanoplastic pollution and calls for reducing greenhouse gas emissions according to the Paris Agreement. Jojo Mehta of Stop Ecocide International welcomes this intervention, emphasizing that recognizing ecocide as a crime in both peacetime and conflict can effectively deter severe and long-term environmental harm.

Global Greens Congress backs ecocide law

At the Global Greens Congress in South Korea, representatives from Green Parties, Indigenous communities, civil society, and NGOs from around the world formally endorsed the establishment of an international crime of ecocide. The endorsement statement by the Global Greens emphasized the urgent need for legal recognition and a global framework to address ecocide. This move aims to shift attitudes, policy decisions, and cultural behavior toward protecting vital ecosystems and endangered species. The endorsement marks a collective effort to strengthen legal frameworks and accountability in environmental protection.

Kakhovka Dam destruction: A case of ecocide

In southern Ukraine, the breach of the Kakhovka Dam has caused devastating consequences for both humans and the environment. The ecological impacts of this disaster have been likened to “ecocide,” highlighting the gravity of the situation. Ukraine called on the international community to provide expertise and assistance to assess the full extent of the damage suffered. With the recognition that crimes of this scale require independent international investigations, Ukraine seeks cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC). The incident underscores the urgency of recognizing ecocide as a standalone crime, applicable in both wartime and peacetime, to prevent severe and widespread environmental harm.

The global momentum behind the push for an ecocide law signifies the increasing awareness of the need to protect the environment and ensure the well-being of the planet for future generations. As nations and organizations come together to address ecocide, the hope for a sustainable and ecologically secure future grows stronger.

Amazon deforestation hit record high in February—up 62% from 2021

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Amazônia Real from Manaus AM, Brasil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Amazônia Real from Manaus AM, Brasil, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

This absurd increase shows the lack of policies to combat deforestation and environmental crimes in the Amazon, driven by the current administration. … The destruction just isn’t stopping.

—Romulo Batista, Greenpeace Brazil

By Jenna McGuire, Common Dreams (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached a record high for the month of February, jumping by nearly two-thirds over last February’s level, according to official data released Friday.

Satellite images released by the Brazilian space agency INPE’s DETER monitoring program show 199 square kilometers (77 square miles) of the Amazon rainforest was lost to deforestation last month—the highest rate recorded in February since the agency began keeping records in 2015 and a 62% increase from last year during the same month.

Environmentalists find the data particularly alarming since February is considered the rainy season in the Amazon and generally sees the lowest rates of deforestation throughout the year.

As Indigenous communities and global environmentalists have been sounding the alarm on the imperiled rainforest, deforestation has skyrocketed under Brazil’s right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. While the Amazon covers land in nine countries, approximately 60% of the forest lies in Brazil, which has reached its highest level of deforestation in more than a decade.

“This absurd increase shows the lack of policies to combat deforestation and environmental crimes in the Amazon, driven by the current administration. The destruction just isn’t stopping,” said Romulo Batista of Greenpeace Brazil in a statement.

Deforestation is predominantly caused by animal agriculture, soy production, logging, mining, and major construction, and has greatly impacted the nearly one million Indigenous people from over 300 tribes who live in the Brazilian Amazon.

“We are going to be eating the rainforest in our burgers,” Holly Gibbs, a land use scientist at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, told the Washington Post. “This is our moment as Americans to step forward and leverage some pressure to save the world, by helping to save the Amazon, which is critically important for the future of our planet.”

Research published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change found that the world’s largest rainforest was quickly reaching its “tipping point” and that the Amazon “has been losing resilience since the early 2000s, risking dieback with profound implications for biodiversity, carbon storage, and climate change at a global scale.”