Ecocide is the serious loss, damage or destruction of ecosystems. When Ecocide becomes an international crime under the Rome Statute, it will be possible to prosecute at the International Criminal Court. Stop Ecocide’s mission is to support the establishment of ecocide as an international crime, in order to forbid and prevent further devastation to life on Earth. We are the only global campaign with this exclusive focus.
The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC) and lists four crimes: Genocide; Crimes Against Humanity; War Crimes; and Crimes of Aggression. Fines alone will never prevent environmental destruction because corporations simply budget for them. Adding a fifth crime – Ecocide – that creates an arrestable offence ensures that individuals who are responsible for funding, permitting or causing severe environmental harm can be prosecuted.
The campaign to make ecocide a crime was the life’s work of UK barrister and visionary, the late Polly Higgins, who devoted all her time and unquenchable spirit to one client – the Earth.
This short film was first shown in December 2019 as part of the Programme of Events during the International Criminal Court, Assembly of States Parties Session, The Hague.
The film was created to explain the crime of Ecocide in simple terms.
Legislation against environmental destruction is key to creating a world circular economy. Jonas Roupé is on the board of End Ecocide Sweden and Roupé campaigns for international law to protect ecosystems.
This international grassroots citizens movement began in 2012 as a European Citizens Initiative to get the European Parliament to recognise the crime of Ecocide. The movement has grown into a fully international campaign focused on the recognition and addition of Ecocide to the Rome Statute as the fifth Crime Against Peace, alongside Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes, and Crimes of Aggression.
