Ecocide Law Support Timeline

Belgian Parliament votes to recognise international law of ecocide

World’s first Global Citizens Assembly says ecocide law should be “firmly enforced alongside existing environmental protection laws”

Parliamentary question is asked in Ireland: “will the Irish government support an international crime of ecocide?”

Shadow Justice Minister publicly announces the commitment of the Labour Party to support discussions around an international crime of ecocide.

Senator Raúl Paz Alonzo asks the Mexican Government to recognise ecocide as the fifth Crime against World Peace and Security. 

At the 16th UNN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY16), youth delegates from all over the world call on governments to “implement legal sanctions for actions and crimes against the environment (including ecocide), especially those coming from big corporations and fossil-fuel companies.”

The International Corporate Governance Network, a global investor-led network whose members control over half the world’s assets under management ($59 trillion) calls on governments to collaborate internationally on criminalising ecocide.

Senator Raúl Paz Alonzo presents a bill before the Mexican Senate to reform federal criminal code and make ecocide a serious crime in Mexico.

Fridays for Future call on world leaders to commit to make ecocide an international crime.

Ecocide law is debated in the UK’s House of Lords, following the submission of a revised amendment to the Environment Bill by Baroness (Natalie) Bennett.

In Chile, the Subcommittee on the General Framework for Human, Environmental & Natural Rights of the Constitutional Convention vote for an ecocide annex to be added to the new Chilean constitution.

Stop Ecocide International (SEI) calls press conference at IUCN World Congress following unprecedented use of IUCN rule to challenge it’s rejection of SEI motion.

France’s Climate & Resilience Act passed this week includes ecocide in two different contexts.

Chilean parliamentarians launch a bill consisting of an amendment to the Chilean penal code to introduce a new crime of ecocide which is directly based on the new draft legal definition of ecocide.

The first use on record of the full definition of ecocide in a government bill: Baroness (Natalie) Bennett of Manor Castle uses the definition from the Independent Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide in the amendment submitted to the UK Environment Bill.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced his support for an international crime of ecocide.

Diplomats urge Caribbean support for ecocide law: Antigua & Barbuda’s Ambassador to the US and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth urge serious support for ecocide law in the Caribbean.

Cross-party support in Scotland for a motion submitted to Parliament by MSP Monica Lennon welcoming the new definition of ecocide.

Legal definition of ecocide is drafted by an expert panel of 12 highly renowned international criminal and environmental lawyers from around the world. It took them six months. The result: a legal definition of “ecocide” as a potential 5th international crime, to sit alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.  

Bangladeshi parliamentary committee on the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change asks govt to legislate for ecocide.

European Parliament votes to take ecocide law seriously

In Luxembourg, the Minister of Foreign & European Affairs and the Minister for the Environment, Climate & Sustainable Development said in Parliament they were “ready to support recognition of ecocide”.

Canadian government announced they will “follow closely” the global conversation on ecocide.

Former President of Finland expresses her support for an international crime of ecocide.

Spain’s Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee calls for consideration of criminalising ecocide.

Belgium becomes the first European country to raise issue of ecocide at International criminal Court.

White Paper on ecocide is submitted to Dutch Parliament

Sweden becomes the latest European state to discuss criminalising ecocide.  Two separate motions are submitted to the Swedish parliament by a combination of three political parties.

Greta Thunberg is awarded the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, and donates €100K to the Stop Ecocide Foundation.

Belgian Green parties introduce bill to make ecocide a crime – and support ecocide amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Citizens, scientists and influencers join youth activists calling on EU leaders to support making ecocide an international crime. Open Letter receives thousands of signatures.

French Citizens’ Assembly votes to make ecocide a crime.

Maldives calls for a 5th International Crime of ecocide.

Pope Francis calls for ecocide to be a fifth category of crimes against peace, during the International Association of Penal Law in the Vatican.

Vanuatu calls for the International Criminal Court to seriously consider recognising the crime of ecocide.