Pope calls for Ecocide law
On Friday 15th November in the Vatican, at a meeting of the International Association of Penal Law, one of the oldest-established legal associations in the world, Pope Francis proposed that 'sins against ecology' be added to the Catholic teachings - and then went a step further, saying "ecocide” should be a fifth category of crimes against peace at the international level.
The Pope described acts that "can be considered as 'ecocide': the massive contamination of air, land and water resources, the large-scale destruction of flora and fauna, and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying an ecosystem".
"By 'ecocide' we should understand the loss, damage or destruction of ecosystems of a given territory, so that its' enjoyment by the inhabitants has been or may be severely affected. This is a fifth category of crimes against peace, which should be recognized as such by the international community."
If this sounds familiar, that's because it is - in essence, it's the very definition submitted by our co-founder Polly Higgins to the UN Law Commission in 2010.
We're not sure how to express quite how exciting this is. Whatever the Catholic Church may need to address within its own ranks, Pope Francis himself (evidenced in his choice of papal name following Francis of Assisi) has a strong public record of deep concern for nature. The message his support for ecocide law will send to a huge section of the global population should not be underestimated.
As Greenpeace observes on the subject in their latest Unearthed newsletter: "as the international legal and banking systems slowly toy with the idea of making environmental harm some kind of crime/metric of failure the Pope has decided to get ahead of the game."
Raising the profile of ecocide at the International Criminal Court
We're excited about our presence at the ICC's annual Assembly coming up in less than a fortnight - targeted invitations have been going out to diplomats, politicians, NGOs and activists for our series of events focusing on ecocide crime. The world may focus on the COP talks in Madrid but the real potential for change will be at The Hague...
This year is going to be all about opening up the conversation and building alliances. You can view our programme here.
Backing a winner - with the added bonus of tax relief
We are at a point of major positive acceleration - which means our funding requirements are growing too. Fortunately - and with perfect timing - we are now able to accept UK charitable donations in support of the campaigning side of our work. So if you've been holding back from giving for tax reasons, now is your moment!
Please go to our DONATE PAGE and choose the best method for you - Paypal option (which also accepts cards) and bank transfer details are all there.
You can also give anonymously via the Charities Aid Foundation using our UK Charity details: Earth Community Trust, UK registered charity no. 1143660.
Don't forget to order your reverse Christmas cards!
We'd be mad not to remind you... this year we're helping you to pre-empt unwanted & unnecessary gifts with our "reverse Christmas cards" – tell your nearest and dearest that instead of buying you a gift this year, you wish to invite them to sign up as Earth Protectors and help progress a law of ecocide! You'll be saving them time and trouble, withdrawing support for the production of (often) unsustainably sourced gifts AND helping support a law that can truly protect the planet. What's not to like? Click on the image to order your pack of 3 exclusive designs on 100% recycled cards.
We'll be back...
We look forward to reporting on events in The Hague and wish you in the meantime a wonderful run-up to the festive season.