Ordinary people who are just trying to make a living are not responsible for ecocide.

This January, for the first time, ecocide law was discussed at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where Stop Ecocide International co-founder and CEO Jojo Mehta was invited to contribute to a number of conference events.

SEI advocates worldwide for legal recognition of the most severe and widespread or irreversible harms to nature - “ecocide” - as serious crimes, addressing a significant gap in international criminal law. 

“This legislation is aimed only at those most powerful players in industry and government, where a lack of responsibility and failure to adhere to existing regulation or rights frameworks can result in entire ecosystems being threatened or destroyed, directly affecting thousands of lives and livelihoods into the future as well as vital biodiversity - and ultimately planetary security,” explains Mehta.

“Ordinary people who are just trying to make a living are simply not responsible for mass deforestation, chemical pollution or the wholesale destruction of marine species.  It’s time instead to put safety parameters in place to guide and hold to account those individuals with responsibility for whole sectors and national policies… exactly the kind of people attending in Davos.“

Ecocide law is now being discussed by lawyers, academics and politicians in dozens of countries, with bills proposed and progressing in various national parliaments; political agreement has already been reached in the EU to sanction “cases comparable to ecocide”.  The Republic of Vanuatu and Ukraine, both victims of severe environmental destruction (via climate change and conflict respectively), are vocal advocates.

An international crime of ecocide is democratically supported by: the European Parliament (27 states); the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (46 states); the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (57 states); the Inter-Parliamentary Union (179 states).

Youth, faith and ocean networks have endorsed the initiative, as have citizens assemblies and business/investment networks.  SEI continues to develop civil society support at all levels.

Make your voice count TODAY!

Join the many thousands of people who have already signed our International Petition and call for a concrete legal solution that can genuinely steer toward planetary safety and responsibility at the highest level.