Why earth destruction is a crime - VPRO documentary

Damaging the earth is a crime, right? That is what earth´s lawyer Polly Higgins thinks. Why earth destruction should be seen as a crime and what is it that brings earth lawyers Polly Higgins and Spanish magistrate Baltasar Garzón to fight for ecocide? A documentary about earth guardians, a new view on earth destruction and the will to make people accountable for ruining our eco-system.

Our world knows four international crimes: war crimes, genocide, torture and crimes against humanity. Spanish examining magistrate Baltasar Garzón and Scottish lawyer Polly Higgins believe that this list of serious violations of international law should be expanded with a fifth: ecocide. Will Higgins and Garzón eventually succeed in gaining enough support to get recognition for ecocide? As a concept, ecocide refers to both naturally occurring processes of environmental or ecosystem decline and destruction of the environment that is caused by human activity.

Scottish Polly Higgins was laughed at when she first proclaimed that the Earth needs a lawyer. That those who cause ecological destruction should be held accountable, and therefore be sued, summoned and punished. Originally a trial lawyer, Higgins now entirely devotes her life and work to the Earth, as a legal eco-activist. Since 2011, she has been leading the international movement against ecocide. This is the large-scale destruction of our ecosystems.

VPRO Backlight follows Polly Higgins and her ‘earth guardians’ on their missions throughout 2015, a year that, more than any other year, offers a ‘window of opportunity'. Including Baltasar Garzón (jurist), Michael Baumgartner (campaign manager Greenpeace Switzerland), Bronwyn Lay (environmental lawyer, Australia).

Original title: The Earth's Lawyer
Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2015.
© VPRO Backlight November 2015

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Credits:
Director: Kees Brouwer
Research: William de Bruijn, Gijs Meijer Swantee, Henneke Hagen
Producer: Jeroen Beumer, Helen Goossens
Commissioning editors: Marije Meerman, Doke Romeijn
English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson.
French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.

[MirceaPanduru]

"Our lives are not our own. From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future." -- Sonmi-451

[NiloRiver]

Love it. Here we have the real protectors from the Captain Planet and Gaia.

[psikeyhackr]

Can it be illegal for experts to not apply accurate knowledge?

Manufactured products must wear put with use. Therefore are economists guilty of criminal negligence by not computing and reporting the Depreciation of Durable Consumer Goods every year in every country?

Is it reasonable for climate scientists to not talk about Planned Obsolescence?

[konstanceleigh]

Environmentalists are always on the side of right - past and present. We protect this Earth, humans, and animals. We are come against, harmed, and vilified. But, because we are wise and courageous, the truth is documented and proclaimed. BLESSINGS!🕊

[Kaliashdevi]

Wonderful - let's spread this far and wide!

[crimeagainstcreation]

This is the most fundamental and important question of our time. There is a strong need for an international court handling crimes against our common natural heritage, just like there is a court for crimes against humanity. And it's more serious than you might think, as environmental crime often occurs hand in hand with other offences such as human trafficking, drug and weapon trade, passport fraud, corruption, money laundering and even murder.

[LKemp-lrky]

Rev.11:18 PROMISES "HE WILL BRING TO RUIN ALL THOSE RUINING THE EARTH."

[wildandbarefoot]

Such a good Woman. Her Legacy will grow to fruition. The time for Earth and LifeKind to be respected and Represented in all mankind's doings is well overdue. Such a wonderful EarthDefender, a sad loss. The Work goes On Polly.x

[timothyjohnson]

It is important to acknowledge suppression of clean energy technologies which are much cheaper than petroleum and coal. This means there is a quantifiable economic damage associated with Ecocide. Add up how much we pay globally for energy each year, ($Trillions) and consider the cost of the energy used to produce everything we buy including food, housing, and manufactured goods which require energy for materials extraction, refining, shipping, and transport for the last 100 years expressed in current dollars. The total is many $Quadrillions, or several $Million per person globally. These are Tort damages.

Research terms: siriusdisclosure Energy-Suppression-Gary_V pdf

[liam]

R.I.P. Polly Higgins your name will always be remembered in the fight against ecocide

[donnacsuti]

Yes the earth and nature needs a lawyer. So important!! Thank you for your work. But after seeing how our governments are behaving we may be out of time.

[RichRich]

Who actually lives in harmony with the earth? Oh they were mostly killed off I remember.

Everyone is guilty to some extent.

[dave]

I wish I could show you an image of google maps from where I live, we are completely encircled by disgusting open cut coal

[CandidDate]

What will be the ultimate anecdote of the human race? I couldn't see, I got glasses. My teeth hurt, I went to the dentist. My car broke down, I went to a mechanic. I had a headache, I took aspirin. I lived on planet earth, she provided all I needed.

This temporary period in time where most diseases can be treated and we don't think any more than 5 minutes into the future?
Life is a blessing. The sun will explode in 7 billion years. What is there to worry about?

[jennis]

The writing is on the wall, mankind is being weighed in the balance and found lacking.

[Peter-nvwu]

Wholesale destruction of the planet would have been stopped long ago if it was being carried out by "the man in the street" but because it is carried on by "big business" it continues with impunity !

[arslongavitabrebis]

It is hard and costly to sustain the desired humanity needs without polluting.
There is a feed back loop, to produce resources without polluting; more energy and resources are needed. This is a really hard problem to solve. Hopefully new technologies will be created to solve this.
In the meanwhile, people in general need to consume and pollute les, and this is not a desired economical trend for many.
Confronting cheap and corrupt system will be hard, because corrupted people tend to accumulate money (power) more efficiently.

[al]

When it's a hot summer day we turn on the a/c.
When it's a chill winter day we turn on the heater.
We all enjoy the luxury of the modern world, expensive but we do.
But the irony is some think they are righteous than other.
The only solution is going to MARS.

[tomschwientek]

all of luck to you!! hope you guys get successful real soon!!

stop ECOSIDE brothers and sisters

[davidcanatella]

As humans we can turn the tide, but as a civilization, no