Several Canadian MPs want to see ‘ecocide’ acknowledged by the International Criminal Court as a crime for international prosecution.
The panel held a press conference in Ottawa on Thursday to discuss their support for mass environmental destruction, referred to as ecocide, to be added to the list of crimes that the ICC can prosecute.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Liberal MP Patrick Weiler, and NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice were among the MPs who sat on the panel along with Mia Feldman, Ecocide Toronto’s outreach director and two other organization members.
“As we speak, Canada is burning,” said Feldman in her opening remarks. “We are only in May and climate exacerbated wildfires are already burning in several provinces.”
“It is clear that our current legislation is insufficient. It is clear that we need a law against ecocide.” she added.
“A majority of mass environmental destruction is greenlit by a few powerful individuals. Criminalizing ecocide would change the decision-making calculus for these individuals by holding them criminally liable.”
The ICC is currently responsible for prosecuting four crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.
“Ecocide is matricide,” said Green Party Elizabeth May. “We really need to take some responsibility for ensuring that the earth, our home and human civilization have a future.”
The organization launched a petition to have ecocide added to the Rome Statute of the ICC as the fifth amendment.
The crimes already covered in the Rome Statute primarily deal with issues that arise in times of conflict.
The organization believes it’s necessary to be added as most environmental destruction takes place in times of peace.
However, one reporter asked about how ecocide was being affected by Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
“While we’re focused on this press conference on the threat of ecocide and recognizing it under the Rome Statute, we also recognize that protecting our environment globally requires health and functional democracies,” said May.
“And the rise of right-wing populist governments all around the world and declines in democracy are also a direct threat to our survival on this planet,” she added.
Liberal MP Patrick Weiler agreed with May’s statement, following up by saying that it was important for the country to hold Putin’s regime accountable, “whether it’s the blowing up of the dam or attacking the nuclear energy facilities.”
“When you calculate not just the human cost and financial costs of rebuilding the infrastructure, the cost to the environment is immeasurable,” said Weiler. “By advocating for ecocide to be part of the Rome Statute in international criminal law, it’s one more way we can deter that type of behaivour.”
“Even in war, there are rules that need to be followed and deliberately causing environmental damage is not something that should be considered,” he added.
May also added that she would like to see more domestic laws added to punish acts of ecocide in Canada.
However, while Canada accounts for roughly 1.5% of the world’s global emissions, China alone is responsible for 27%, surpassing the combined emissions of all developed nations in the world.
