Against Ecocide: Legal Protection for Earth

As states and corporations continue to harm the planet, legal experts and citizens are calling for the codification of ecocide as a fifth crime against peace, joining genocide, crimes of agression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Initiatives to criminalize ecocide express an emerging ecocentric worldview in law that grants intrinsic value and rights to nature; this challenges the view of nature as a lifeless “object” for human use. In order for human laws to work in harmony with nature’s laws, voice and legal standing must be given to nature’s rights and interests when crafting legislation and public policy.