A panel of leading international lawyers gathered by the Stop Ecocid Foundation has published for the first time a legal definition of ecocid.

Adoption of the proper definition could pave the way for acts of environmental destruction to be prosecuted and punished by the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague. For lawyer and panel member Philippe Sands, this definition is "not only for human beings, but also for the well-being of our total ecosystem."

Derived from Greek and Latin, ecosystem can literally translate as "killing our home." The panel of lawyers defined it as follows:

"Ecocide means illegal or improper acts committed with the knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of serious or widespread or long-term damage to the environment by these acts."

So far, only four types of crimes are tried by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands. This court investigates and, when justified, prosecutes individuals charged with the most serious crimes of concern to the international community: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of aggression.

Adding ecocide to this list is being seen as revolutionary. Unlike lawsuits and fines for corporations (who simply have the budget for this opportunity), making eco-crime a crime creates an "arrestable offense."

The process of making eco-crime an international crime must go through several stages, but the possibility of its adoption as such is not ruled out.

Sources: Euronews, SEF