Ecoregions: Mapping Ecosystems to Protect Biodiversity
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Ecocide: Past, Present, and Future Challenges Maud Sarliève The Hague, The Netherlands
Synonyms Ecological destruction; Environmental crimes; Environmental destruction
Definitions The word “ecocide” was built from the prefix “eco” and the suffix “cide.” “Eco” is a derivation of the Greek oikos, which refers to the environment and man’s relation to it. “Cide” comes from the Latin verb caedere, which can be translated as “kill.” Ecocide ordinarily refers to the devastation and destruction of the environment to the detriment of life. To date, there is no universally accepted legal definition of this concept, nor is it generally accepted that ecocide could be a crime.
Introduction Ecocide denotes “various measures of devastation and destruction which have in common that they aim at damaging and destroying the ecology of
geographic areas to the detriment of human life, animal life and plant life” (Fried 1972). Professor Arthur W. Galston (1979), whose research led to the development of Agent Orange, invented the term of ecocide. He used it for the first time in February 1970, at a Conference on War and National Responsibility held in Washington, to denounce and describe the devastation resulting from the use of this herbicide as a weapon of war in Vietnam. By emphasizing the “cide” over the “eco,” the scientists were hoping to convince policy makers and jurists to agree on a definition of the crime of ecocide and have it categorically banned by treaties governing the rules of warfare (Zierler 2011). Two years later, in 1972, the United Nations held a conference in Stockholm, which focused exclusively on international environmental issues for the first time. In his opening speech, Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme used again the term ecocide to describe the consequences of the Vietnam conflict on the environment. Ecocide laws exist only in a handful of countries and vary in their wording and scope from one jurisdiction to the other. At the international level, no legal instrument provides for a definition of this crime, be it in or as part of a classic Multilateral Environmental Agreement (“MEA”) or as a fifth class of crime under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (“ICC”). Further, none of the existing international mechanisms allow for the effective investigation, prosecution,
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and adjudication of those most responsible for environmental damages. Meanwhile, scientists’ warnings are increasingly alarming. The sixth mass extinction of species is under way. Climate change is real with human activities as the main cause: it is now commonly accepted that an increasing number of environmental disasters find their origin in overconsumption and the associated overexploitation of natural resources. To address this environmental descent, a growing number of activists and environmental defenders consider that incriminating “ecocide” woul
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