Calling Global Youth!
Calling Global Youth!
You know existing environmental regulations are failing to tackle the ecological and climate crisis.
Join this FREE virtual briefing to find out how the growing global movement for ecocide law is seeking to use domestic and international criminal law to prevent and punish the most severe forms of environmental destruction.
At present, individuals are not held criminally accountable when it is proven that their decisions have led to devastating environmental damage, such as vast chemical or oil spills or the clear-cutting of primary rainforests.
Ecocide legislation removes an individual’s ability to shelter behind the limited liability of a corporation or the impunity that comes with being part of a ruling government. It fundamentally reconfigures the moral and legal order in favour of nature and in turn all of us that rely on it for our prosperity and survival.
Join Stop Ecocide International Co-founder and CEO, Jojo Mehta and the Co-leads of Youth for Ecocide Law to hear all about the most significant recent developments in the world of ecocide law and how you can get involved.
Implementation of Ecocide Legislation on the Island of Ireland and beyond: Current Legal Framework, Challenges, and Future Directions
Environmental Justice Network Ireland and Stop Ecocide International welcome you to this event.
Join us to hear from Jojo Mehta, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Stop Ecocide International about how the global initiative towards criminalizing ecocide, severe, and widespread or long-term destruction of nature is gaining momentum.
Learn about the progress around the globe, including in Europe and about the countries exploring related legislation.
Hear the presentation of a paper by research associate Juneseo Hwang working with Environmental Justice Network Ireland on the concept of ecocide law on the island of Ireland.
While both Ireland and Northern Ireland have environmental laws, there is a lack of effective criminalization of severe environmental destruction. Cross-border cooperation is essential to establish a unified legal approach in line with the Good Friday Agreement.
Hear about how the case of the contamination of Lough Neagh underlines the urgency for legislative changes, given its ecological significance and degradation.
Let's Change the Rules! - concert of 1000 singers and panel discussion
27th April 2024, 16:00 BST / 17:00 CEST / 18:00 Finland
Mannerheimintie 13a, 00100, Helsinki
A big concert for our planet! Six well-known solo choirs, a vocal group, soloists and a large choir accompanied by a band will be seen on stage.
Choirs for Ecocide Law is a Finnish-Swedish rhythmic music choral project whose main purpose is to spread awareness about international environmental destruction (Ecocide Law). The project was launched at the World Choir Symposium (WSCM) in Istanbul in April 2023, and now the first large-scale Choirs for Ecocide Law concert will be heard in Musiikkitalo.
The soloist ensembles Grex Musicus, Musta Lammas, Higher Ground Voices, Vaskivuori High School Chamber Choir, Tampere Ihankaikkinen Kuninkaallinen Tuomikooro, Philomela and Flok will perform at the concert. The concert consists of fifteen songs composed in the style of popular music, whose composers are from around the world.
All participating artists, musicians, choirs, director, production and graphics donate their work for the project. Any proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Stop Ecocide Foundation.
The most important message of the concert is that there is a positive opportunity to nurture our common planet. Welcome to the concert, where a thousand choir members sing about their joys and sorrows, frustrations and hopes related to nature.
After the concert, there will be a panel discussion in the concert hall about the meaning of the criminalization of natural destruction and the current situation between different countries, the ICC, the European Union and other key parties. The panel discussion was moderated by Panu Halme, a university lecturer in nature conservation biology from the University of Jyväskylä. Authoritative decision-making body representatives and researchers from Finland and abroad will be heard as discussants.
Panelists:
Jojo Mehta
Jojo Mehta founded the Stop Ecocide International people's movement in 2017 to support the criminalization of natural destruction at the International Criminal Court.
Ida Korhonen
Ida is an activist of the forest movement who has organized several demonstrations demanding the protection of valuable natural sites and has spoken and written actively on the subject.
Kaarlo Hildén
Kaarlo is a versatile professional in the field of music who currently works as the rector of the University of the Arts.
Ville Niinistö
Ville is a member of the European Parliament who has promoted international nature-protecting legislation in his work.
Performing soloist ensembles:
Grex Musicus, conducted by Kirsi Tunkkari
Musta Lammas
Hgher Ground Vocals, conducted by Hanna-Maria Helenius
Vaskivuori High School Chamber Choir, conducted by Jonna Vehmanen
Tampere Ihankaikkinen Kuninkaallinen Tuomikuoro, conducted by Petra Poutanen
Philomela, conducted by Jennifer Moir
Flok
Choirs singing in the Suurkuoro - leaders Merzi Rajala, Kirsi Kaunismäki - Suhonen
All 4 Voices
CheerLeader Singers
Choirs for Ecocide Law single Singers
Cocktail Cats Ensemble
Treble
Choir
Global Choir, Sibelius Academy
Global Choir Leadership, Sibelius Academy Go!Vocals
Gospel Helsinki
Happy Voices Päikkärit
Harjun Laulu
Helianthus
Helsinki Queer Feminist Choir
Helsinki Natural Science High School Choir
Helsinki Työväenopisto singers
Kailo
Folk Choir Hytkyt
Latin singers
Laulamo Group
Vocal group Luna
Lempikouro
Open Voice
Partita
Sing & Shine Choirs
Sound Of Faith
TTY Mixed Choir Futuri
Vinokuu
Voice of Wanders
Vola
Väki
Ö-kör
Artistic working group and conceptualization of the Choirs for Ecocide Law project
Merzi Rajala, artistic director
Kirsi Kaunismäki-Suhonen, artistic producer
Peder Karlsson, artistic producer
Composers
Simon Marainen, Kevin Fox, Federico Trindade, Chris Hutchings, Astrid Vang-Pedersen, Merzi Rajala, Peder Karlsson, Genevieve Andersen, Moira Smiley, Simone Tandbrg Christensen.
The concert is directed by
Merzi Rajala and Kirsi Kaunismäki-Suhonen
The voice of
Ilkka Herkman
MEILENSTEIN DER RECHTSGESCHICHTE? DAS NEUE EU-UMWELTRECHT | MILESTONE IN LEGAL HISTORY? THE NEW EU ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
24.04.2024 von 10-12 Uhr
Die EU hat direkt vor Ostern ein neues Umweltstrafrecht verabschiedet - u.a. wird darin Naturzerstörung "vergleichbar mit Ökozid" als besonders schweres Verbrechen anerkannt. Deutschland hat ALS EINZIGES LAND nicht dafür gestimmt. Umweltverbrechen generieren pro Jahr Umsätze von mehr als 200 Milliarden € - mit gravierenden Folgen für die menschliche Gesundheit und die Natur.
Kann Strafrecht die Umwelt schützen? Und wenn ja, wie? Eine von Green Legal Impact Germany e.V. und Stop Ecocide organisierte Onlineveranstaltung gibt Auskunft und diskutiert die Bedeutung des neuen EU-Umweltstrafrechts.
Unterstützt von GLS Bank, Patagonia, Heinrich Böll Stiftung und Protect-the-Planet
Letzte Woche hat der Europäische Gerichtshof für Menschenrechte EGMR in seiner Entscheidung zur Klage von Schweizer Seniorinnen Klimaschutz als Menschenrecht anerkannt - und gleichzeitig zwei noch weitreichendere Verfahren als unzulässig abgewiesen. Dies zeigt einerseits die wichtige Rolle des Rechts, und andererseits die dringende Notwendigkeit weiterer Normen.
Wie wird Deutschland auf das neue EU-Umweltrecht reagieren?
Sagt es bitte weiter, das ist eine wirklich spannende Sache mit sehr weitreichender Wirkung für Deutschland, Europa und auch weltweit!
24.04.2024 from 10:00 - 12:00 BST
The EU passed a new environmental criminal law just before Easter - among other things, it recognises the destruction of nature "comparable to ecocide" as a particularly serious crime. Germany is the ONLY country that did not vote in favour. Environmental crimes generate revenues of more than €200 billion per year - with serious consequences for human health and nature.
Can criminal law protect the environment? And if so, how? An online event organised by Green Legal Impact Germany e.V. and Stop Ecocide provides information and discusses the significance of the new EU environmental criminal law.
Supported by GLS Bank, Patagonia, Heinrich Böll Foundation and Protect-the-Planet
Last week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) recognised climate protection as a human right in its decision on the complaint by Swiss senior citizens - and at the same time dismissed two even more far-reaching proceedings as inadmissible. This shows the important role of law on the one hand, and the urgent need for further standards on the other.
How will Germany react to the new EU environmental law?
Please spread the word, this is a really exciting issue with far-reaching implications for Germany, Europe and the rest of the world!
Comparative legal strategies in the protection of nature, the territory and its defenders.
ONLINE 22nd APRIL
11:00 Santiago, Chile | 16:00 BST | 17:00 CEST
This event will be in Spanish with simultaneous translation into English
The “Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean”, better known as the Escazú Agreement, was adopted in Escazú, Costa Rica, on March 4 of 2018. It is an international legal instrument that aims not only to protect the environment, but also human rights.
The objective of this international treaty is to guarantee the rights of access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making processes and access to justice in environmental matters, as well as to contribute to the protection of the right to live in an environment with healthy and sustainable development.
Currently, the agreement has been ratified by 15 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean and another 10 signatory countries are pending ratification.
The establishment of ecocide as an international crime, as well as its adoption by national legislation, will contribute to protecting both the environment and human rights, in particular the right to live in an environment free of pollution, as well as the rights of indigenous peoples, who inhabit their territories in harmony with nature. These are, precisely, objectives shared by the Escazú Agreement, so both instruments, although different, are, at the same time, complementary.
The participation of Stop Ecocide in this regional summit of Latin America and the Caribbean, through this official parallel event, aims to share different legal strategies for the protection of nature, the territory and its defenders, including our proposal to convert ecocide into an international crime.
Aresio Valiente López (Panama), professor of the University of Panama, Executive Director of the Popular Legal Assistance Center, President of the National Union of Indigenous Lawyers of Panama, Vice President of the Institute of Agrarian, Environmental and Indigenous Law and member of the legal team of the General Guna Congress, autonomous government of the Guna people.
Pablo Fajardo Mendoza (Ecuador), Ecuadorian lawyer and activist, representative of the Amazonian indigenous peoples in the Chevron-Texaco case, Goldman Prize for the environment. He was a member of the Panel of Independent Experts for the legal definition of the crime of Ecocide.
Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez (Chile-Spain), Director of Stop Ecocide for the Americas, Vice President of Human Rights Without Borders and professor at the International University of La Rioja (Spain). He was a member of the Panel of Independent Experts for the legal definition of the crime of Ecocide.
Juana Calfunao Paillalef (Chile), Ñizol Lonko (higher ancestral authority) of the Mapuche People-Nation, activist and defender of the environment and the ancestral rights of her people to the territory. She led the request for international arbitration so that the State of Chile respects the Treaty of Tapihue of 1825.
Yolanda Zurita (Peru), social and environmental activist, representative of the National Platform of People Affected by Heavy Metals, Metalloids, and other toxic chemical substances (Peru), an organization that has recently obtained a favorable ruling from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
Moderated by Constanza Soler (Argentina), journalist.
Ecocide and Environmental Racism
Stop Ecocide Canada, together with Youth for Ecocide Law and Stop Ecocide International are hosting a compelling virtual panel to explore the intersection between the violation of human rights, racism and ecocide. Mass destruction of ecosystems and the state of the climate emergency disproportionately impacts BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and People of Colour] communities.
In this panel, we will meet extraordinary young leaders whose bold visions and actions chart a positive course through these challenging times, to a more just, sustainable and life affirming future.
Stop Ecocide Canada, en collaboration avec Youth for Ecocide Law et Stop Ecocide International, organise une table ronde virtuelle passionnante pour explorer l'intersection entre la violation des droits de l'homme, le racisme et l'écocide. La destruction massive des écosystèmes et l'état d'urgence climatique ont un impact disproportionné sur les communautés autochtones et racisées.
Dans ce panel, nous rencontrerons de jeunes leaders extraordinaires dont les visions et les actions audacieuses tracent une voie positive à travers ces temps difficiles, vers un avenir plus juste, plus durable et plus respectueux de la vie.
Panelists / Panélistes:
Dana Tizya-Tramm (Arctic) : named TIME magazine’s 100 Next Global Leaders; Director Arctic Circle Strategies; youngest known elected chief of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nations
Dana Tizya-Tramm (Arctique): nommé par le magazine TIME parmi les 100 prochains leaders mondiaux; directeur de Arctic Circle Strategies; plus jeune chef élu (connu) des Premières nations Vuntut Gwitchin.
Priyanka Lalla (Trinidad): UNICEF Youth Advocate since 2020 (focus on child's right to education, health - mental and physical, child protection, and climate action) National Child Rights Ambassador.
Priyanka Lalla (Trinité): Défenseure de la jeunesse pour l'UNICEF depuis 2020 (spécialisée au droit de l'enfant à l'éducation, à la santé - mentale et physique, à la protection de l'enfance et à l'action pour le climat). Ambassadrice nationale des droits de l'enfant.
Debbie Buyaki (Kenya): Sustainability leader at United People Global, Co-Lead at Youth For Ecocide Law and Tree Planter.
Debbie Buyaki (Kenya): Responsable du développement durable chez United People Global, co-responsable de Youth For Ecocide Law et planteuse d'arbres.
Waasekom Niin (Anishinaabek Lands) : SevenGen Coordinator; Indigenous Knowledge Coordinator; Indigenous Knowledge Coordinator Anishinaabek Land Trust.
Waasekom Niin (Terres Anishinaabek): Coordinateur SevenGen; Coordinateur des connaissances autochtones; Coordinateur des connaissances autochtones Anishinaabek Land Trust.
Moderator John Woodside: Award winning investigative journalist for Canada’s National Observer, Energy and Climate.
Modérateur John Woodside: Journaliste d'investigation primé pour le National Observer du Canada, Énergie et Climat.
Exploring the revised Environmental Crime Directive
March 4th, 2024 | 16:00 - 19:00 CET
LawHub, University of Amsterdam (Roetersisland campus)
The Youth Environmental Research and Advocacy (YERA) Hub will present its latest research on the Revised Environmental Crime Directive: its implications and shortcomings. We are joined by experts in the field of environmental law to share their knowledge and come to new insights together.
AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS:
16:00 - 16:20: Opening Remarks
16:20 - 17:00: Panel Discussion on the Legal Elements of Mens Rea and Unlawfulness
17:15 - 18:00: Panel Discussion on the Directive Implementation in Member States and EU
18:15 - 19:00: Panel Discussion on Global Perspective on the Directive: Spotlight on Chile
Why Attend?
Join the event to gain new insights, share ideas, and connect with experts and peers dedicated to environmental advocacy
We're eager to have your voice included in these essential conversations. A limited amount of spots is available for the event in person. However, online access will be made possible.
Please RSVP by March 1 to confirm your attendance and specify whether you want to attend online or in person.
Are you a law, political science, economics, or media student (or a related field) in the EU? Do you want to ensure that EU law brings us on track to combat climate change and environmental destruction?
Join the YERA Hub and get in touch with the young team via Instagram, LinkedIn, or send an E-mail toyerahub@stopecocide.nl
Recognizing Guardians of the Earth
This webinar and fireside chat aims to amplify the voices of indigenous communities across the world, those representing and supporting different ecosystems including water, forests, grasslands, mountains and other delicate ecosystems. We will hear stories of ancient connections to our Earth celebrating the diverse beauty, vitality, regeneration, and life in harmony with nature. Yet juxtaposed against this tapestry of life, we will confront the harsh reality of our current era that is especially impacting indigenous communities and is marred with centuries of exploitative extractivism, colonialism, and destruction of spiritually significant ecosystems.
Ecocide: Voices of the Victims
22nd Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute
Official Side Event | Monday 11th December, 13:15 - 14:30, New York
As discussion develops around inclusion of “ecocide” under the remit of the Rome Statute, this panel examines the relevance of the 2021 Independent Expert Panel definition to contexts where severe environmental damage is being suffered in different ways: small island states, states involved in armed conflict, indigenous territories and the ocean.
Speakers:
H.E. Ambassador Odo Tevi
Permanent Mission of Vanuatu to the United Nations
Jojo Mehta
CEO, Stop Ecocide International
Maureen Penjueli
Coordinator, PANG
Dmytro Koval
Truth Hounds, Ukraine
Valdelice Veron
Guarani-Kaiowá leader, Brazil
Captain Alex Cornellissen
CEO, Sea Shepherd
Rodrigo Lledó
LatAm director, Stop Ecocide International
Moderator:
Ashika Singh
Counsel, Debevoise & Plimpton LLC
Co-hosted by: Permanent Missions of the Republic of Vanuatu and Samoa to the United Nations & Stop Ecocide Foundation.
From climate crisis to planetary security - the role of international law
03.12.23 | 16:45 - 18:15 | Side Event Room 2
Official COP28 side event / Événement parallèle officiel de la COP28 /
Evento oficial paralelo COP28 / Evento paralelo oficial da COP28
EN
Examining the power of international law to frame the roadmap for a safe planetary future - by deterring severe climate harm, protecting vital biodiversity and its guardians, accelerating fulfilment of Paris Agreement targets and guiding just transition.
FR
Examiner le pouvoir du droit international pour définir la feuille de route d'un avenir planétaire sûr - en dissuadant les atteintes graves au climat, en protégeant la biodiversité vitale et ses gardiens, en accélérant la réalisation des objectifs de l'Accord de Paris et en guidant une transition juste.
ES
Examinaremos el poder del Derecho internacional para trazar la hoja de ruta para tener un futuro planetario seguro: impidiendo los daños climáticos graves, protegiendo la biodiversidad vital y a los guardianes de la misma, acelerando el cumplimiento de los objetivos del Acuerdo de París y guiando una transición justa.
PT
Examinaremos o poder do direito internacional para traçar o roteiro para um futuro planetário seguro: prevenir danos climáticos graves, proteger a biodiversidade vital e seus guardiões, acelerar a consecução dos objectivos do Acordo de Paris e orientar uma transição justa.
Ralph Regenvanu
Government of Vanuatu
Célia Xakriabá
Congress of Brazil
Taliria Petrone
Congress of Brazil
Jojo Mehta
Stop Ecocide Foundation
Tzeporah Berman
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
Vanessa Nakate
Climate Activist
Marie Toussaint
European Parliament
Inge Relph
Global Choices
Henry Neufeldt
UNEP
In association with: Republic of Vanuatu, Stop Ecocide Foundation, Global Greens, Global Choices, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Youth for Ecocide Law
Prosecuting ecocide: prospects for enforcement nationally and internationally
Hybrid event with online streaming
Wednesday 29 November at Carlos III University
8:20am - 5:15pm GMT | 9:20am - 6:15pm CET
Registration required for in-person attendance
Deadline: Monday 27 November 2023.
Location: Getafe Campus Room “Buero Vallejo” (14.0.11)
Organised by: Universidad Carlos III de Madrid & Stop Ecocide International
In collaboration with: International Council of Enviromental Law, IUCN/ WCEL y Pax Natura.
Academic coordinators:
Thomas Obel Hansen & Montserrat Abad Castelos
Stop Ecocide coordinators:
Maite Mompó & Rodrigo Lledó
Times: GMT | CET
8:20 - 8:45 | 9:20 - 9:45
Welcome remarks
Thomas Obel Hansen - Maria Zambrano Distinguished Researcher, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Senior Lecturer in Law, Ulster University, UK
Montserrat Abad Castelos - Professor of Public International Law at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Co-director of the ICEL’s International Secretariat; Co-Principal investigator of the Project Making Peace with Nature and Making Nature a Key for Peace [PaxNatura, Part I]
Laura Carballo Piñeiro - Professor of Private international law at University of Vigo, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations. and co-PI of the PaxNatura Project
Maite Mompó - Director of Stop Ecocide in Spanish language; degree in Law and specialized in ecological ethics, sustainability and environmental education; activist in human rights, peace and environment
Rodrigo Lledó - Member of the International Expert Panel for the definition of ecocide; Director of Stop Ecocide Americas; vice president of Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras (DHSF) and professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR)
8:45 - 09:00 | 9:45 - 10:00
Opening presentation
Christina Voigt - Professor of International Law, University of Oslo; president of WCEL; member of the International Expert Panel for the definition of ecocide (online)
09:00 - 10:30 | 10:00 - 11:30
Panel 1: Context and rationale for criminalizing ecocide
Thomas Obel Hansen - Maria Zambrano Distinguished Researcher, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Senior Lecturer in Law, Ulster University
Presentations:
Jojo Mehta - Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International and Chair of Stop Ecocide Foundation
Concepción Escobar - Professor of Public International Law, UNED; Director of the Center of Studies of IHL, Spanish Red Cross; Former Member and Special Rapporteur of the UN International Law Commission; Former Head of the International Law Department of the Spanish MFA
Mr. Ambassador Georges Maniuri - Vanuatu’s Ambassador to Europe
Chidi Oti Obihara - Senior fellow for climate finance with Drawdown Labs; Senior Advisor at SBTi
Montserrat Abad Castelos - Professor of Public International Law at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Co-director of the ICEL’s International Secretariat; Co-Principal investigator of the Project Making Peace with Nature and Making Nature a Key for Peace [PaxNatura, Part I])
10:45 - 12:15 | 11:45-13:15
Panel 2: Ecocide & environmental crimes prosecution at the ICC
Kevin Heller - Professor of International Law and Security, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Matthew Gillett - Senior Lecturer, Essex Law School, UK; former Prosecution Lawyer, International Criminal Court
Kate Mackintosh - Deputy chair of the International Expert Panel for the definition of ecocide; Executive Director of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at the UCLA School of Law
Rodrigo Lledó - Member of the International Expert Panel for the definition of ecocide; Director of Stop Ecocidio Americas, vice president of Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras (DHSF) and professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR)
Thomas Obel Hansen - Maria Zambrano Distinguished Researcher, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid; Senior Lecturer in Law, Ulster University, UK
13:45 - 15:15 | 14:45-16:15
Panel 3: Ecocide & environmental justice in national and regional legal frameworks
Maite Mompó - Director of Stop Ecocide in Spanish language; degree in Law and specialized in ecological ethics, sustainability and environmental education; activist in human rights, peace and environment
Darryl Robinson - Professor of Law, Queens University, Canada
Paulo Busse - Lead lawyer at Climate Counsel; expert at Ecocide Advice Centre; Co-Head of the Environmental and Climate Crisis Practice Group at Global Diligence Alliance
Patricia Willocq - Founder and Director at Stop Ecocide Belgium and coordinator of Stop Ecocide in French language; award winning photographer exhibited by OHCHR, UNESCO and UNICEF
Jaime Doreste - Associate professor of environmental law at the UAM; environmental lawyer for Ecologistas en Acción, Greenpeace, SEO/BirdLife, and neighbourhood associations, among others
Roxane Chaplain - Lawyer specialised in environmental law working at the European Parliament as part of MEP Marie Toussant team
15:15 - 16:45 | 16:15-17:45
Panel 4: Environmental crimes, human rights & transitional justice
Triantafyllos Gkouvas - Post-doctoral researcher of Carlos III University of Madrid
Ana Elena Abello Jiménez - Lawyer who has worked at the Chamber for Recognition of Truth, Responsibility and Determination of Facts and Conducts of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace for 5 years.
Esteban Morelle Hungria - Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Law at the Jaume I University, Spain
Maite Mompó - Director of Stop Ecocide in Spanish language; degree in Law and specialized in ecological ethics, sustainability and environmental education; activist in human rights, peace and environment
Moderated by Rodrigo Lledó - Member of the International Expert Panel for the definition of ecocide; Director of Stop Ecocide Americas; vice president of Derechos Humanos Sin Fronteras (DHSF) and professor at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR)
16:45 - 17:00 | 17:45-18:00
Closing Remarks
Nicholas Robinson - Executive President of ICEL; Chair Emeritus of the WCEL; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pace, NY, USA
Karen Hulme - Professor of Law, University of Essex, UK and IUCN WCEL Chair of SG on Environmental Security and Conflict Law
WORKSHOP RATIONALE
This Workshop, hosted jointly by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Stop Ecocide – with support from ICEL and IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law and the grants mentioned below – seeks to understand options and challenges to achieve greater accountability for environmental crimes. It takes the starting point in exploring the rationale, feasibility and possible consequences of recently made suggestions for expanding accountability for environmental crimes at International Criminal Court (‘ICC’) level.
The workshop pays particular attention to the Independent Expert Panel (IEP) ‘ecocide’ proposal, tabled in June 2021, its potential strengths, possible weaknesses and prospects for enforcement. The proposal has quickly achieved widespread support among policy-makers, activists, academics and many others. Should it ultimately be adopted by the ICC Assembly of States Parties this would undoubtedly be seen by many as an important advancement in both international criminal law and environmental protection.
However, observers have pointed to challenges associated with adopting the ecocide proposal in its current form and effectively enforcing it at ICC level, including important questions around the proposal’s definition of ecocide, possible resistance by certain stakeholders, and issues surrounding the ICC’s capacity to meaningfully enforce an ecocide crime. Importantly, environmental crimes often involve particularly powerful interests including large business enterprises, but is the ICC geared to prosecute the type of actors most responsible for ecocide and other serious environmental crimes?
At the same time, significant developments have recently taken place at the domestic and regional levels, including the presentation of a new EU environmental crime directive and the adoption of expanded environmental crimes legislation in numerous national jurisdictions around the world – in some cases seemingly drawing on the IEP ecocide proposal. But what are the opportunities and challenges for national legal systems to prosecute ecocide and more broadly advance accountability for environmental crimes? For example, how could extraterritorial jurisdiction principles be utilized to promote justice for environmental crimes that are committed outside the State wishing to exercise jurisdiction, including in conflict zones? Criminal law is not the only way to achieve greater accountability for environmental crimes, raising questions for example concerning the prospects of relying on other legal frameworks such as tort law. Further, since conflict and post-conflict societies are often particularly affected by environmental crimes, what could be the role of transitional justice measures addressing these crimes?
Exploring these and related themes through presentations and debate with academics from different disciplines, practitioners and activists, this workshop aims to facilitate a critical and timely discussion of the different avenues for advancing justice for serious environmental crimes including ecocide – and to build bridges between disciplines, research agendas and academia-policy-practitioner relations. The workshop is in hybrid format, allowing presenters and participants to join online.
The event is organized in the framework of Making Peace with Nature and Making Nature a Key for Peace Project (Ref.: PID2022-1424842022). The event is supported by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (DECANATO FACULTAD CC. SOCIALES Y JURIDICAS, Convocatoria 2023 de ayudas para la organización de congresos, conferencias, reuniones científicas y seminarios organizados por los departamentos, grupos de investigación y profesores e investigadores de la Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Jurídicas de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Modalidad C) para la actividad titulada Justice options for environmental crimes in armed conflict; as well as Convocatoria 2023 de ayudas para la organización de congresos y reuniones científicas y workshops por la UC3M (Modalidad A: congresos internacionales) mediante la resolución de 7 de noviembre de 2023 (grant number: UXXI con el código 2023/00447/001). The event further benefits from funding provided by the Spanish government and the EU Commission’s ‘Next-Generation-EU’ framework for the Maria Zambrano Distinguished Research Fellowship undertaken by Thomas Obel Hansen (2023-24) with Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. The event is also receiving funding from ICEL and IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.
Ecocide Law and the Rights of The Child
This panel event will launch “Ecocide Law and the Rights of The Child: How legal recognition of the most severe harms to nature could protect children's rights” a report by Stop Ecocide International about the connection between ecocide law and children’s rights. The event will feature report writers, experts in relevant sectors, and activists working on child rights and environmental justice.
Speakers:
Robert
Robert is a 10 year-old climate communicator and activist based in Toronto, Canada. He started a Youtube channel, Children's Climate Championship, over a year ago where he interviews kids under 12 as well as scientists and civil society representatives about climate change, biodiversity loss, and initiatives to help save the planet. Robert was a delegate at the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 in Montreal, where he was invited to give an in-person speech to key decision-makers.
Priyanka Lalla
Priyanka Lalla is a 17 year-old child rights advocate from Trinidad and Tobago. She has been a UNICEF Youth Advocate since 2020, focusing on children's right to education, health - mental and physical, child protection, and climate action. Priyanka is also a National Child Rights Ambassador in Trinidad and Tobago (since 2018), Chair of the National Child Rights Steering Committee, and a member of UNICEF’s U-Report Main Steering Committee. She is a zero-waste lifestyle blogger and in 2022, Priyanka authored and illustrated a children's book - Svara's Ocean Adventures.
Anna Maddrick
Anna is a legal adviser for Stop Ecocide International and a current PhD candidate at the University of Bologna. She is an academic and public advocate on ecocide law and reformed global environmental governance. Anna has two distinctions in law at Bachelors and Masters levels and is co-chairing a "Legal Pact for the Future", calling for judicially enforceable environmental and human rights in the courts of all countries. She has advised and written extensively on ecocide law, the global commons and judicial enforcement and has participated in a number of panels as a speaker within the United Nations as well as a handful of universities and various other international organisations around the world.
Amalie Wilkinson
Amalie Wilkinson (they/xe/she) is an environmental advocate based in Toronto, Canada, and co-author of the report. Xe is a Youth Ambassador for Stop Ecocide Canada, the Founder of Stop Ecocide Toronto, and a Co-lead of Stop Ecocide’s global Youth 4 Ecocide Law network. Xe has represented Stop Ecocide at various global speaking engagements, including LCOY Canada, side events for the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP15 and the UN 2023 Water Conference, and webinars by Stop Ecocide International. Beyond the Stop Ecocide movement, Amalie is a student, queer rights advocate, tree planter, and climate strike organiser. Amalie is completing an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Peace, Conflict, and Justice Studies at the University of Toronto.
Elizabeth Doherty
Beth is a climate advocate from Dublin, Ireland. She has been involved in climate activism since 2019, beginning as an organiser of the school strikes. Since then, she has worked nationally and internationally on climate justice, including a case which overturned Ireland's climate legislation and the national strategy for Education for Sustainable Development.
She is currently working with Global Choices to draft legal and policy proposals to protect the Central Arctic Ocean. As Vice President of the Cambridge Climate Society, she works to empower students to engage with the climate crisis. She is driven by a passion for justice and a liveable future.
Farzana Jhumu
Farzana Jhumu is a climate activist and UNICEF Youth Advocate based in Bangladesh. She has worked with Fridays for Future (FFF) Bangladesh, UN Women Feminist Action Coalition for Climate Justice, and 350.org. She is a strong voice campaigning for a liveable future on a healthy planet and for the phasing out of fossil fuels. With UNICEF, she played a key role in launching the Climate Risk Index in 2021, to highlight the climate crisis as a child rights crisis. Designated as a UNICEF Youth Advocate in 2022, Farzana has worked to enhance youth participation in climate governance. She has attended several international conferences, including the UNFCCC’s COP26 in Glasgow and the 2022 Stockholm+50 Pre-Summit.
Moderated by:
Judy Foster
Judy Foster is the Head of Operations and International Outreach at Stop Ecocide International. She has been part of Stop Ecocide from the early days and has helped it grow over the last 4 years into a global movement with teams and representatives in around 50 countries. After working for many years in the corporate sector, she moved to an education charity where she co-founded an awarding organisation specialising in vision-based, holistic education. This led to her discovering a passion for nature and creating change in the world, which ultimately led her to Stop Ecocide.
Stop Ecocide Initiative - International update
Hear the latest updates from the global initiative to make ecocide an international crime. Learn about Sri Lanka’s role in supporting the creation of an international law to protect the environment from atrocity scale harm and how you can support the initiative.
With:
Jojo Mehta, Co-Founder & CEO, Stop Ecocide International
Dr. Kamal Abeyawardena, Chairman of the Nature and Culture Protection Foundation
Shantha Dalugamage, Founder, Stitchin Mission
Ecocide Law: updated across the world and Türkiye
This event will be online & in-person
at 12:00 BST / 13:00 CEST / 14:00 Türkiye
In-person at Chamber of Environmental Engineers,
Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mahallesi, Büyük Parmak Sokak No: 14 , Istanbul, Türkiye.
A discussion with and updates from:
Jojo Mehta, Stop Ecocide International & Ilksen Dincer Bas, End Ecocide Türkiye.
This event will be simultaneously translated into Turkish.
Ekokırım Yasası: Dünya’da ve Türkiye’deki Son Gelişmeler
Online ve Yüzyüze Etkinlik | 25 Ekim 2023
ÇEVRE MÜHENDİSLERİ ODASI:
Katip Mustafa Çelebi Mahallesi, Büyük Parmak Sokak No: 14 , Istanbul, Türkiye.
Strengthening protection of The Arctic: The importance of criminal law
A recording of this event will be made available.
What is required to protect the vulnerable Arctic ecosystems and species from mass damage or extinction threatened by industrial activity and climate change? This session examines the relevance of international criminal law and the potential protective power, for the Arctic and elsewhere, of recognising “ecocide” as a crime; as well as tracing the rapid global progress of the “ecocide wave” of legislation being discussed and developed at national, regional and international levels.
This event will explore the relevance of the legal initiative to criminalise ecocide and trace current rapid developments toward ecocide legislation at national, regional and international levels.
Co-hosted by: Republic of Vanuatu, Stop Ecocide Foundation, Stöðvum vistmorð
Organized by: Stop Ecocide International
Connecting with life, protecting life... the Ecocide Law Discussions
Join us for a quiz and deep-dive conversation
19th October, 8-10pm at The Student Cellar
Háskólatorg University Square, University of Iceland,
Sæmundargata, 101 Reykjavík
With:
Angaangaq, Ice Wisdom
Jojo Mehta, Stop Ecocide International
Arctic Angels: Vedika (India), Shreya (Nepal), and Iluuna (Greenland)
Pub quiz hosted by Cody Skahan, Ungir Umhverfisinnar
Infinite Ecologies Marathon: The Prelude
Serpentine Pavilion, London, Saturday 14 October 2023, 12-8.30pm
PRICE: ALL DAY: £10, £7 CONC. AFTERNOON ONLY: £5 (6-8.30PM)
An all-day event that gathers key figures within environmental thinking to address pressing questions and help set the agenda for the Infinite Ecologies Marathon in July 2024.
What is underrepresented on the environmental agenda today?
What is not yet on the agenda, but will be in the near future?
Infinite Ecologies Marathon: The Prelude brings together key figures across disciplines – including Marina Abramović, James Bridle*, Cooking Sections, Gabriela De Matos, Manthia Diawara, Brian Eno*, Formafantasma*, Lina Ghotmeh, Daisy Hildyard, Louisa Hooper, Nabihah Iqbal, Judy Ling Wong, Gabriel Massan, Mariana Mazzucato, Jojo Mehta, Kumi Naidoo*, Ventura Profana, Tomás Saraceno, Nikolaj Schultz, Yinka Shonibare, Natsuko Uchino, Adrián Villar Rojas and Johannes Vogel – to respond to these prompts.
Ecocide: Australian and Global Perspectives | Law and Nature Dialogue
A virtual & in-person panel, 12 Oct 2023 from 6:00 PM AEDT
Macquarie University City Campus,
Level 24 123 Pitt Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
In the second CEL Law and Nature Dialogue of 2023, a panel of experts will discuss the proposed crime of ecocide from Australian and global perspectives. The panel will speak to issues including reparative possibilities after ecocide, ecocide and Indigenous peoples, and the rights of nature, and will consider the prospects for ecocide laws in, and beyond, Australia.
Speakers:
Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Senator for New South Wales and Deputy Leader, Australian Greens
Dr Rachel Killean, Senior Lecturer, Sydney Law School, University of Sydney
Dr Michelle Maloney, Co-Founder and National Convenor, Australian Earth Laws Alliance; Co-Founder, Stop Ecocide Australia (via Zoom)
Professor Anne Poelina, Chair, Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council; Co-Chair of Indigenous Studies, Nulungu Research Institute, University of Notre Dame
Chair: Justice Brian Preston, Chief Judge, Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
Convenor: Dr Daley Birkett, Senior Lecturer, Macquarie Law School
Business within planetary boundaries
Webinar, 4th October
12:30 - 13:30 BST / 13:30 - 14:30 CEST
Organised by Business Declares with Stop Ecocide International
Severe and widespread or long-term damage to nature - ecocide - is happening around the world. It is happening because there is no effective deterrent. The movement to create a new international crime of ecocide - to deter the worst acts of environmental harm and guide commercial activity into a safer space - is gathering momentum. As discussions advance towards the creation of this new global law, around the world, there are also a growing number of initiatives to enact ecocide law at national level. This is a law for our time and it is on its way.
In this event, Business Declares will:
Raise awareness of Stop Ecocide, their key objectives, and aims for the business community.
Share Stop Ecocide’s business open letter.
Identify individuals or businesses who would like to be part of a sounding board, panel or network to review or debate aspects of the campaign.
There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the campaign and forge connections with like-minded individuals who are also working to address the nature crisis in their businesses and organisations.
Join us to find out more about ecocide law, how it can support and encourage sustainable business and how businesses can support it.
Business within planetary boundaries: Exploring legal avenues
An IN-PERSON panel as part of
The Economist Sustainability Week: Countdown to COP28
Tuesday, October 3rd, 3:35pm BST
etc. Venues, 133 Houndsditch, London EC3A 7BX, United Kingdom
In an era defined by unprecedented environmental challenges, “Business within Planetary Boundaries” takes center stage. What pioneering legal strategies will be needed to drive corporate practices toward a sustainable harmony with the planet? Join us to uncover the jurisprudential compass guiding enterprises through uncharted legal terrain, as businesses and society collectively forge a path for people, planet, and profit.
Speakers:
Elspeth Jones, Deputy chief executive, ClientEarth
Chidi Obihara, Adviser, Stop Ecocide
Christopher Bartlett, Climate diplomacy manager, Government of Vanuatu
Bors Hulesch, Speaker, Extinction Rebellion
Nicole Rycroft, Founder and executive director, Canopy
Moderated by: Hal Hodson, Special projects writer, The Economist
Making ecocide a crime - international update with Jojo Mehta, Ecocide International
Online webinar
Thu 28th Sep 2023, 8:00 am - 9:00 am BST
Around the world, communities, lawyers and even some nation states are advocating for 'ecocide' to be recognised as a crime. While ecocide laws exist in around a dozen countries world wide, Australian governments are yet to engage with the concept of making extensive environmental harm a crime. Join us for an important update about the global movement advocating for ecocide to be recognised as a crime in international law, and to learn about the organisations and nations who are leading the way.
Stop Ecocide International Co-founder Jojo Mehta will join Dr Michelle Maloney, Co-founder and National Convenor of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance.
Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) hosts a fantastic month of webinars, workshops and discussions, exploring how we can reshape human societies towards Earth-centred governance and create a healthy, safe future for all life on this beautiful planet of ours.
For more information visit their website: www.earthlaws.org.au
How can Ecocide Law help direct our techno-economic power?
Wednesday, 27th September, 16:30 - 18:00 CEST
Online and In-person
at Teknikringen 43, KTH Climate Action Centre, 114 28 Stockholm
Hosted by KTH Climate Action Centre, in collaboration with End Ecocide Sweden
Technology increases the speed and power of human activity, but does not make informed choices about the direction of those activities. How can making mass destruction of nature a crime before the International Criminal Court in the Hague - Ecocide Law – help direct our techno-economic power?
This seminar will discuss how making ecocide a crime can help:
- reach the Paris Agreement
- protect biodiversity
- protect human health
- promote long-term economic stability and global security
- prevent some illegal activities linked to organized crime
SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS:
Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir, Professor of Earth Sciences at the University of Iceland.
Kevin Noone, Professor of Chemical Meteorology at the Department of Environmental Science (ACES) at Stockholm University.
Neshan Gunasekera, international lawyer and environmentalist, research fellow with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute.
Elina Eriksson, associate professor and co-lead of the research group Sustainable Futures Lab at KTH.
Jonas Roupé, Chair of Cradlenet, corporate strategist with focus on systemic change.
Jonas Roupé and Kristín Vala Ragnarsdóttir have recently published two research reports: ”Ecocide Law for the Paris Agreement” and ”Ecocide Law for an Economy within Planetary Boundaries”. Jonas Roupé is also the author of “Artificial Intelligence in Service to Life on Earth – Ecocide Law as a Framework for Governance”. Elina Eriksson is co-author of the report “Computing as Ecocide”.
AMAZÔNIA: Protecting indigenous lands & recognizing ecocide
Wednesday 20th September, 7 - 10pm EDT
Gaia NoMaya, 510 Flatbush Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Weaving together sacred wisdom, law & activism with personal story &
teaser for stunning upcoming impact documentary.
Advance registration strongly recommended.
This is not your average climate week venue, nor your average climate week panel… escape the concrete jungle for an immersive evening of wisdom, connection and concrete legal solutions at this consciously curated & beautiful venue right next door to Brooklyn’s Prospect Park - well worth the short ride! Come early for a stroll in nature…
Limited places - advance registration strongly recommended.
Join us in the soul-nourishing “ancient-and-modern” setting of Brooklyn’s Gaia NoMaya for an emotional journey weaving together film, indigenous wisdom, crusading activism and law.
The extended teaser for stunning upcoming impact documentary Amazonia: the Heart of Mother Earth - co-produced and directed by Princess Esmeralda and Gert Peter Bruch - will set the scene for an interactive journey of discussion with renowned, expert and deeply committed speakers on the power and potential of indigenous culture and the use of law to protect the beating heart of Earth’s web of life - the Amazon basin.
Speakers:
Princess Esmeralda
of Belgium
Co-Director/Co-Producer, Amazonia: The Heart of Mother Earth
Domingo Peas
Achuar Leader & Amazon coordinator, Sacred Headwaters Initiative
Steven Donziger
Human Rights Lawyer
Vanda Witoto
Witoto Leader, former Brazil congressional candidate
Atossa Soltani
Global Strategy Director, Sacred Headwaters Initiative; Founder & President, Amazon Watch
Jojo Mehta
Co-Founder, Stop Ecocide International
Moderator:
Julia Jackson
Founder, Grounded, Keystone Species Alliance
The documentary, featuring legendary Chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people as well as President of Brazil Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva and Sydney Possuelo, former President of the National Indian Foundation, builds on the movement to demarcate and protect all indigenous territories in Brazil, the explicit call from indigenous leaders for an international crime of ecocide, and recent domestic developments including the establishment of an Indigenous People's Ministry and the recent submission of a new Ecocide Bill to the Brazilian Congress. All this in the context of a fraught political landscape where many aim to remove that newly-won influence and make it harder to protect indigenous lands.
The conversation around these themes will be moderated by the luminous Julia Jackson, recent recipient of a US Congress recognition for climate action and founder of climate philanthropy Grounded.org and wildlife conservation initiative the Keystone Species Alliance.
Julia will be in conversation with: Princess Esmeralda of Belgium, who - together with Gert-Peter Bruch of Planète Amazone - has co-directed and co-produced the film, and for whom the project has been a remarkable personal journey; indigenous spokeswoman and political leader Vanda Witoto of the Witoto People, former Brazil congressional candidate; renowned human rights lawyer Steven Donziger, hounded by the oil industry for his part in fighting the legendary Texaco/Chevron pollution case in Ecuador; Domingo Peas, long time leader from the Achuar Nation of the Ecuadorian Amazon working closely with AmazonWatch founder Atossa Soltani in the Sacred Headwaters Initiative toward permanent protection of life in the Amazon based on cooperation and harmony; and Jojo Mehta, passionate voice at the heart of the global movement to recognize mass destruction of nature as an international crime.
Join us in a beautiful and unusual venue for a deeply urgent and soul-nourishing conversation, with complimentary light nourishments for the body too!
The Tide Is Rising: Protecting our Ocean and Islands through Ecocide Law
An in-person event, 1pm - 5pm AST,
at the Crews Inn Hotel, Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Join us for an inspiring event where we dive into the pressing issue of protecting our precious ocean and islands through the power of ecocide law. This in-person event will take place at the Crews Inn Hotel, Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago.
Together, we will explore innovative solutions and strategies to combat environmental destruction and preserve the beauty and biodiversity of our oceans and islands. Learn from renowned experts, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and connect with like-minded individuals who share a passion for safeguarding our natural treasures.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of the movement towards a sustainable future. Together, we can make a difference!
London to Whales - Connecting the dots from vulnerability to protection
Online: 27th June, 15:00 BST/CEST
This unique event will highlight the crucial connection between whales, London and climate change.
Whales have visited London via the Thames twice this century. But the connection between the city and cetaceans goes much deeper than that.
Whales are a keystone species in the ocean and an important driver of carbon sequestration, helping keep the climate cooler for Londoners. But their habitat is now under threat.
London is contributing to that vulnerability through fossil fuel use, marine pollution and other harmful policies. Yet the city is also an epicenter of climate action and has the potential to play a major role in the protection of whales by, for example, promoting the inclusion of ecocide as an international crime.
Speakers:
Jojo Mehta - Stop Ecocide International
Sian Prior – Clean Arctic Alliance
Sophie Locke - Blue Marine Foundation
Ed Goodall - WDC - Whale & Dolphin Conservation
Andrew Birchenough - IMO International Maritime Organisation
Moderated by:
Antoinette Vermilye - Gallifrey Foundation
Mobilising Key Stakeholders to Meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals
An in-person panel discussion, June 27th, 11:30 - 12:20
“The 17 SDGs set out the many complex problems that we must globally work together to solve by 2030. This session will discuss what business must do to reach these goals and provide a framework for delivering their other sustainability, decarbonisation and net zero goals.”
Speakers:
Nina Seega, Research Director for Sustainable Finance - Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Steve Kenzie, Executive Director - UN Global Compact Network UK.
Alison Heppenstall, Executive Director - Climate Action for Associations.
Martina Casani, Lead of Marketing - U-Earth.
Jojo Mehta, Co-founder - Stop Ecocide International.
Moderated by: Nick Mabey, Chair - LCAW.
Amazônia: the Heart of Mother Earth | Film screening, panel and discussion
Film screening, panel and discussion, Monday, June 26th.
Doors 18.30 BST for 19:00 BST start.
This is an in-person event at the Marylebone Theatre, 35 Park Road, London, NW1 6XT.
Amazônia: the Heart of Mother Earth tells the unfinished story of the recognition and protection of indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon through exceptional testimonies of five indigenous leaders from four different generations, including legendary chief Raoni Metuktire of the Kayapo people.
Directed by Gert-Peter Bruch and Princess Esméralda of Belgium, this is a collaborative project between Planète Amazone, King Leopold Fund for Nature Exploration and Conservation and Stop Ecocide International.
A panel discussion will follow the screening, featuring the following speakers:
HRH Esméralda of Belgium, Journalist, author and activist.
Gert-Peter Bruch, Founder and president of Planète Amazone.
Jojo Mehta, Co-founder, Stop Ecocide International.
Daniela Montalto, Greenpeace UK
Moderator: Zoë Tryon, Renowned activist, speaker, and artist.
Clarifying obligations and deterring harm: the power of international law to address climate crisis
An official in-person side event at the
UNFCCC Bonn Climate Change Conference, Germany
Tue, 13 Jun 2023,
11:45-13:00 CET
Kaminzimmer Room
Co-hosted by:
Republic of Vanuatu, Stop Ecocide Foundation, CAN International
In association with partners:
Stop Ecocide International, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Youth for Ecocide Law, World Commission on Environmental Law
Examining the power of international law to urgently drive climate action: the historic resolution to seek an Advisory Opinion on Climate Change from the International Court of Justice; development of a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; and recognition of ecocide as an international crime.
Speakers:
Dr Christopher Bartlett
Climate and Diplomacy Manager, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Vanuatu
Lavetanalagi Seru
Regional Policy Coordinator, Pacific Islands Climate Action
Christina Voigt
Chair, World Commission on Environmental Law
Jojo Mehta
Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation
Tasneem Essop
Executive Director, Climate Action Network International
Alex Rafalowicz
Director, Fossil Fuel Treaty
Protecting the ocean via criminal law: a fireside chat with Sylvia Earle
Ocean for Ecocide Law international network launch
Wednesday 7th June, 11:00 EST / 17:00 CEST
Live streamed and in-person at The Explorers Club,
46 E 70th Street, New York, NY 10021
Organised and co-hosted by Gallifrey, Stop Ecocide International & Mission Blue
Despite covering most of our planet, the ocean is often absent from conversations about mass environmental destruction.
Yet, just like land-based ecosystems, the ocean faces many existential threats from human activity - including anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, marine plastic, chemical pollution and overextraction.
Join us in-person at The Explorers Club in NewYork, or via live-stream, on the 7th of June for the international launch of the Ocean for Ecocide Law Network.
Sylvia Earle, the pioneering oceanographer, campaigner and author, who has dedicated her life to protecting marine ecosystems, will discuss the urgent need to make the widespread or long-term damage to our ocean an international crime.
Protecting nature, creating accountability, framing change: the power of recognising “ecocide”
Part of WCEL series "The Transformative Power of Law: Addressing Global Environmental Challenges"
Tuesday 6th June 2023, 17:00 London / 18:00 Oslo, Brussels, Bonn / 11:00 Quito / 19:00 Athens, Kyiv
Co-hosted by: World Commission on Environmental Law & Stop Ecocide Foundation
Organized by: Stop Ecocide International
Existing environmental protections are often not adhered to or are poorly enforced. Many states, as well as NGOs, lawyers, academics, scientists, grassroots movements and a growing number of voices in the corporate and finance sectors are speaking out in support of stronger legal frameworks and accountability.
In particular, the legal recognition of “ecocide” (severe and either widespread or long-term harm to ecosystems) as a crime at the international level could go a long way to shifting attitudes and guiding behaviour with regard to the worst threats to the living world.
This event will discuss the progress and relevance of the fast-growing ecocide law initiative in a variety of contexts pertinent to the protection of our planet’s vital ecosystems, drawing together a variety of perspectives.
Speakers:
Dr Christopher Bartlett - Climate Diplomacy Manager, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Vanuatu
Patrick Alley - Co-Founder & Director, Global Witness
Yuliiya Ovchynnykova MP - Member of Parliament, Ukraine
Jojo Mehta - Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation
Julio Prieto - Environmental & Indigenous’ Rights Lawyer, Ecuador (Chevron case)
Roxane Chaplain - Legal advisor to Marie Toussaint, Member of European Parliament
Fiona Napier - Africa Nature Lead, Climate Champions Team
Moderated by:
Christina Voigt - President, World Commission on Environmental Law
Just Peace Movie Night x Hague Talks: How to achieve environmental justice?
Mon, 5 Jun 2023 18:00 - 21:30 CEST
The Hague Humanity Hub, 58 Fluwelen Burgwal, 2511 CJ Den Haag Netherlands
Join Just Peace The Hague and Hague talks for a special joint event on environmental justice as part of Hague Justice Week As a key part of a more equitable and just future, climate justice is growing in importance across the world, and nowhere more so than in countries that are affected by climate change and rising sea levels the most.
There will be a film screening of Anote’s Ark by Matthieu Ritz: which tells the story of the nation of Kiribati, which is being drastically affected by climate change. This will be followed by a special Hague Talks and discussion where we will delve into the topic of ecocide, environmental justice, and how Mozambique and its Chief Justice is working to secure a more just future for its people.
About the speakers:
Jojo Mehta, a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International. Jojo has been at the forefront of the movement to establish ecocide as a crime at the International Criminal Court. Her extensive experience in coordinating legal developments, diplomatic traction, and public narrative, coupled with her clear and engaging communication style, make her an inspiring and knowledgeable speaker to address the pressing issue of environmental justice.
Mert Kumru is an avid campaigner for World Youth for Climate Justice here in Europe. Now that climate justice is becoming a much more broadly accepted term, Mert offers us the opportunity to learn more about seeking justice for those affected by climate change.
Ida Simonsen will moderate the event. Ida is a farmer in training, agroecology activist, and Dutch UN Youth Representative on Biodiversity and Food. She is primarily active at the intersection of environmental justice, human rights and agrarian transformation with a focus on democratisation and youth participation.