Making Ecocide an International Crime. Polly Higgins

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This episode of the Green Interview features lawyer Polly Higgins, who in 2010 proposed to the United Nations that a law of Ecocide to be classed as the 5th Crime Against Peace. She defines ecocide as the “extensive damage, destruction to or loss of ecosystems of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been severely diminished." The term inhabitants here includes ALL living beings, not just people. Higgins has been a vocal spokesperson on Earth Law for a number of years and is recognised as an expert in her field. She argues that current environmental laws aren’t working because they haven’t been able to protect the environment against severe degradation. She also says the laws that govern corporations put profit first: a company has a legal duty to maximize its profits to its shareholders and that a law of ecocide would supersede this and impose a provision that makes us look to the consequences of the profit-making activity.