Understanding the Legalities of Ecocide

In June 2021, an Independent Expert Panel drafted the legal definition of ecocide. They defined ecocide as involving “unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.” Although this legal definition has not yet given rise to international recognition of a legally punishable crime, some countries have codified ecocide as a crime which enables them to hold individuals and corporations criminally liable. Join us at this event to understand what the promises and perils of defining ecocide as a crime can bring.

Speakers:

Professor Christina Voigt, Member of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide; Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law; Professor of Law, University of Oslo

Professor Darryl Robinson, Member of the Promise Institute Working Group on the use of International Criminal Law to protect the environment; Professor of Law, Queen’s University