Jojo Mehta (pictured) co-founded Stop Ecocide in 2017 with the late Polly Higgins to advance recognition of ecocide as an international crime. As CEO and spokesperson, she has led the movement’s global growth, bridging legal, diplomatic and public arenas. She also chairs the Stop Ecocide Foundation and convened the Independent Expert Panel whose 2021 definition of ecocide has spurred legislative and policy action worldwide.

As climate impacts accelerate, our legal systems struggle to keep pace with the scale of harm being inflicted on people and the planet. Recognising ecocide — mass damage and destruction of ecosystems — as a serious crime offers a powerful new pathway for justice and accountability and is rapidly gaining global momentum. This talk will explore how ecocide law can help close legal gaps, curb corporate impunity, and protect communities most affected by environmental breakdown; and why naming and outlawing ecocide could shift the way governments and businesses make decisions that affect the Earth’s future. Drawing on recent legislative progress and international cross-sector discussions, the session will outline practical strategies for making ecocide law a reality and catalysing a cultural shift: a call to place care for the living world at the heart of how we govern.