Canada can help protect ecosystems by making ecocide a crime

Open letter for the criminalisation of ecocide

We are living in a unique moment in the history of humanity. Mass damage and destruction of ecosystems–ecocide–committed for decades with impunity, has led to the current climate crisis, the collapse of biodiversity and the increase in serious environmental harms.

This is putting our future and that of millions of other living beings at risk because it is affecting the very life-support systems of the Earth. The near future of the planet will depend on the decisions we make and the actions we take today.

Existing treaties, agreements and civil lawsuits have not been able to stop this destruction. Clearly, we must change the rules.

The time has come to introduce a new crime at the international level to ensure the lasting protection of all life on Earth: ecocide.

Therefore, all signatory organizations and associations below ask the Canadian government to:

Publicly declare its support for an international crime of ecocide, joining those countries ready to amend the Rome Statute to include it as the fifth Crime Against Peace, alongside Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and the Crime of Aggression, providing a simple, effective deterrent for those in positions of responsibility, enforceable within existing criminal justice systems.

See a full list of signatories.

Find out more about CFSC’s concern around climate change.