In this comparative analysis of new and proposed ecocide laws, Zhang and Mackintosh conclude that there has been a clear convergence in the definition of the crime since the Independent Expert Panel definition in 2021.

In September 2024, three Pacific Island States – Vanuatu, Fiji, and Samoa – formally proposed adding ecocide as a crime that can be heard and punished by the International Criminal Court, which can currently try individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.

What does the ecocide proposal mean in practice? How might it potentially impact our understanding of ongoing destruction of the environment and the role of international criminal law? 

Joining the show to unpack the ecocide proposal are Naima Fifita, Rebecca Hamilton, and Kate Mackintosh.  

Amending the Rome Statute is, politically, a Herculean task so no one should expect to see an international prosecution for ecocide anytime soon. However, the advent of this submission by states who have been at the forefront of pushing international law to grapple with the realities of climate change spotlights a vital question:

What do engaged stakeholders imagine that the international criminalization of ecocide can achieve?

Safe and sufficient water is one of the six substantive elements of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Despite this, the UK is presently experiencing a water crisis, played out in the dire ecological status of its waterways. In a series of scandals, water companies have been criminally prosecuted for discharging raw sewage during dry weather and failing in their sewage-treatment duties, while government enforcement has been criticised as insufficient.