ICC Considers Ecocide as an International Crime Against Humanity

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ICC Considers Ecocide as an International Crime Against Humanity

January 28, 2025 | all blog |

On September 9, 2024, the island nations of Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu submitted a proposal to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague, Netherlands, requesting that ecocide be recognized as one of the world’s official “international crimes against humanity.” The proposal requests an amendment to the to the ICC’s Rome Statute, or the legal basis under which the ICC operates. On December 18, 2024, the ICC created its “Draft Policy on Environmental Crimes Under the Rome Statute.” If approved, ecocide would join genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression as the fifth international crime against humanity. 

Ecocides, or acts that destroy the world’s ecosystems, is defined by the ICC as, “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.” Should ecocide become an international crime, company leaders and nations could be prosecuted for knowingly contributing to environmental degradation. 

‘We are taking bold and necessary action to address these challenges and encourage other vulnerable states to take note of our newly tabled proposal to bring ecocide to the ICC,’ said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment. ‘Legal recognition of severe and widespread environmental harm holds significant potential to ensure justice and, crucially, to deter further destruction.’

Details about the proposal can be found here.