Jojo Mehta, Executive Director of Ecocide International, attended and spoke at the International Geographical Societies Gathering on the 30th of March.
It was an initiative of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, hosted in collaboration with the International Geographical Union, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Representatives from over 30 geographical societies from across the globe were in attendance and speakers also included Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Biological Diversity (full list of speakers below).
This meeting was held ahead of the COP15 in Kunming, on the UN Convention of Biological Diversity, to discuss the issues regarding biodiversity as well as exploring ways in which the community of Geographical Societies can act to address the biodiversity crisis.
In the IGSG report following the event, signing a declaration in support of the ecocide campaign was listed as a key action point. The report stated that introducing the law of Ecocide at the level of international law is ‘one of the most credible solutions to our current crisis’.
‘The shifts that are required to fulfil the framework and to support the Convention on Biological Diversity are going to be difficult if not impossible to implement in time without a suitable international criminal law framework in place’. - Jojo Mehta
The IGSG report
One of the key recommendations from final plenary:
consider signing the declaration in support of the ecocide law campaign
“Law and policy are some of the most powerful tools we have to protect life on Earth, now and in the future.
The campaign to establish a crime of ecocide, defined as the large-scale or systematic destruction of nature, at the level of international law is arguably one of the most credible solutions to our current crisis, creating a guardrail against harms where none currently exists.
Both through our organisations and as individuals, geographers everywhere can help to build support for this vital campaign, whether internationally or in our own countries.
To aid in this endeavour, we are inviting all geographical societies and institutions to add their names to a declaration of support for the ecocide law campaign, to be published jointly ahead of the next meeting of COP15.”
Speakers at the IGSG 2022:
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema,
Executive Secretary, UN Convention on Biological Diversity
Yadvinder Malhi,
Professor of Ecosystem Science, University of Oxford
Keping Ma,
Professor of Plant Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Andrés Guhl,
Professor of Geography, University of the Andes
Hindou Oumarou Ibradhim,
Coordinator, Association of Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad
Mike Robinson,
Chief Executive, Royal Scottish Geographical Society
Joe Smith,
Executive Director, Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)
Harvey Locke,
Founder, Nature Needs Half
Paula Ehrlich,
President & CEO, E O Wilson Biodiversity Foundation; Co-Founder, Half Earth Project
Jojo Mehta,
Executive Director, Stop Ecocide International