Recently, three countries – Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu – demanded the International Criminal Court (ICC) to put ecocide in the same category as other international crimes, such as war crimes, genocide and racism. In many other countries, it has already been considered a crime and punishment has been decided for it. These countries consider any kind of interference with the environment as a serious crime.
What is ecocide, can it be considered an international crime
There is no set definition of this term. According to many experts, ecocide is defined as any deliberate act done with the knowledge that it may cause permanent or temporary but serious effects on the environment.
It can be understood like this that the Amazon forest is the largest rain forest in the world. A large percentage of the total oxygen available to the world comes from here. It has also been called the lungs of the earth. But in the last decade, these lungs have been damaged rapidly. Not only were the forests cut down, but the settlements living there were also destroyed. Wood smuggling continued. Such crimes are happening continuously. This is organized crime. This is ecocide, i.e. killing the environment.
America had made Vietnam poisonous
This term was first used during the US-Vietnam war. Then the US spread a special kind of poison in the soil of Vietnam to pollute its rivers and land. In secret language it was called Agent Orange. Much later it was discovered that the US had poisoned the soil and water of the enemy country to defeat it.
What will happen if it is declared a crime
According to The Guardian report, if ICC considers ecocide a crime, it will put pressure on big companies to not do anything against the environment. Although this has been discussed since the seventies, the pressure has increased now. It is being argued that when there is punishment for killing or cruelty to humans, then why not for destroying the environment! That too, when cutting trees or dumping garbage in rivers is affecting not only humans but the entire ecology.
What are environmental crimes?
This is a wide category, the first of which is wildlife crime. It includes damage to both trees and animals living in the forest. Illegal mining is also a crime. Illegal fishing and spreading pollution come under the category of activities against the environment. Apart from this, any work that increases the pace of climate change can be an environmental crime.
Which countries currently have laws on ecocide?
– In the year 2021, France classified ecocide as a crime. If a person or organization damages the environment, then he can be imprisoned along with a heavy fine.
– Belgium is trying to get ecocide recognised as an international crime. In its own country, a punishment of 20 years and a fine of 1.8 million dollars has already been decided for this crime.
– Ecocide is a crime in countries like Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus.
What has happened so far
In 1998 itself, a proposal was made to put ecocide in the category of crime, but this did not happen. Meanwhile, many countries of Europe kept working at their own level. Ecocide has been made a national crime in about a dozen countries. At the same time, Ukraine is currently collecting evidence against Russia, so that it can prove in the International Court that Moscow has caused a lot of tampering with the environment there.
At present, what has the ICC considered as an international crime?
– Genocide is at the top of this category. It is done with the intention of completely destroying a country, race or religious group.
– ICC was also strict on war crimes. Even if two countries fight among themselves, they cannot harm each other’s citizens or infrastructure.
– Promoting gross human rights violations, such as murder, rape, or slavery.
– Aggression is also considered a crime, such as if a state attacks another without any reason.
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