Protect the Earth, Change the law.
Ecocide
is a word to describe what is happening to our planet; the mass damage and destruction of the natural living world. It literally means “killing one’s home”.
And right now, in most of the world, no-one is held responsible.
It’s time to change the rules. It’s time to protect our home.
We are working, together with a growing global network of lawyers, diplomats, and across all sectors of civil society, towards making ecocide an international crime.
“Ecocide” means 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.
~ Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide, June 2021~
December 2021
In Belgium, the international definition is mentioned in the resolution adopted by the Parliament, incorporating Belgian principles of law:
Français:
Actes illégaux ou résultant d’un défaut grave de prévoyance ou de précaution commis en connaissance de la réelle probabilité que ces actes causent à l’environnement des dommages graves qui soient étendus ou durables.
Nederlands:
Onwettige handelingen of handelingen die het gevolg zijn van een ernstig gebrek aan voorzorg of vooruitziendheid, begaan in de wetenschap dat die handelingen naar alle waarschijnlijkheid ernstige schade aan het milieu zullen toebrengen, die uitgebreid of blijvend zijn.