ECOCIDE – More than just a word
The word ECOCIDE describes how we treat our planet: the massive damage and destruction of natural resources and ecosystems. It literally means ‘killing one's home’.
Eco is short for ecology (biological interactions). The suffix -cide refers to an act of killing, sometimes in a figurative sense. Examples include: femicide, genocide, homicide, infanticide, suicide, etc.
However, the word ECOCIDE is occasionally criticised by various parties: any relativisation of the Holocaust, even remotely, is highly problematic, as it could distract from the guilt for this terrible crime and thus weaken the perception of responsibility for the lives of Jewish people, the existence of the State of Israel and the fight against anti-Semitism. For this reason, there is also criticism of the term ECOCIDE, which was explicitly coined against the backdrop of genocide.
As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, I do not share this view in any way.
My father, a Jewish Belgian born in 1911, spent a long time as a prisoner of war in a concentration camp. Since he did not have his Jewish passport with him, he was not identified as a Jew. Due to his diverse language skills, he was employed as an interpreter. In 1943, he was able to escape and was hidden in Austria until the end of the war. He joined the Americans and was present at the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. A total of 13 of my father's relatives were gassed in Auschwitz and Treblinka. My father worked as an interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials.
For the last three years, on 27 January, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I have given a speech against anti-Semitism in front of the town hall in our community.
In my view, the term ECOCIDE is perfect. From an etymological point of view, it is striking. It is the proposed crime of ECOCIDE that has aroused public and political interest and passion, whereas this was not the case with weaker terms. The term ECOCIDE arouses emotions and attracts attention. It is a powerful, potent expression. The suffix -cide symbolises something final and sounds brutal.
And that is exactly what ECOCIDE is – brutal, because the term means: the massive damage and destruction of our nature and vital ecosystems. ECOCIDES are a major cause of the climate and environmental crisis (global warming, biodiversity loss, environmental pollution).
I cannot think of any other suitable term that captures this core message in a single word.
And that is why we need a strong ECOCIDE law. Environmental criminal law serves primarily to protect the environment and, as a further consequence, to ensure the survival of humankind by preserving vital ecosystems. The expressive function of a term is a legitimate consideration. And an important function of criminal law is the ‘message’ we associate with ECOCIDE.
I have never associated the word ECOCIDE with anti-Semitism or discrimination. On the contrary: if ECOCIDE is included as the fifth crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, it will be a huge opportunity for humanity – and by that I mean ALL people, of course – to have a future worth living!
Viviane Fux
February 2026