The Crime of Ecocide - Polly Higgins Interview

Polly Higgins is an international lawyer advising on creating an international law of ‘ecocide’, defined as the extensive damage, destruction to, or loss of ecosystems. Existing law doesn’t stop ecological harm, and corporations are able to commit ecological and climate atrocities with impunity. An ecocide law could be used to bring criminal proceedings against individual senior corporate or national officials and hold them to account.

Polly’s group, Ecological Defence Integrity, launched an independent investigation last year into the activities of Shell. They are one of the top fossil fuel companies, whose own climate scientists alerted them decades ago of the danger of their activities and the relationship with climate collapse. They continued their activities, along with other oil industries, despite the knowledge they had of the harm they were causing.

The International Criminal Court was set up this century, under the Rome Statute, which introduced the international crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Polly would like to see an additional crime of ecocide added to that list. There are 56 small island developing states which are particularly at risk of climate ecocide, facing an existential crisis. Millions of lives are at stake, and yet it is preventable. The recent IPCC report calls for a rapid reduction in emissions over the next few years, so corporations and countries ignoring this warning are party to a criminal enterprise.

Polly believes that non-governmental organisations have failed to bring about the rapid changes required, and petitions, marches and government lobbying have had little or no effect, so new movements like the school strikes and Extinction Rebellion, with their willingness to break laws, should be given a chance. People committing acts of civil disobedience are often doing so as an act of conscience, and wanting to protect humanity as a whole. The 20th century conscientious objectors stood up against war, and at first were imprisoned, but then began to win the right to freedom of conscience, the right to stand up and speak out. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives us that right, and allows us to become ‘conscientious protecters’ - protecting the future of our planet’s ecosystem.

Polly Higgins wants to draw a legal red line in the sand, just as we have done with genocide, or apartheid. She also sees this as aligning international criminal law with the one simple higher law that says ‘do no harm’. Perhaps this can help to avoid the most catastrophic disaster of our time.

Shortly after this interview, Polly was diagnosed with advanced and pervasive cancer, but in an interview with George Monbiot, she said that if it’s her time to go, her legal team will carry on the work, and she hopes one day to see a million Earth Protecters standing up for this simple single law to protect our earth.

[ActionmediaUK]

Rest in peace - Polly - you died just as the world was listening - Extinction Rebellion will carry on your work. We will carry on your work.

[johnbestevaar]

Happy to add my support to laws for a world we all want.

[TheKatynicol]

Wonderful interview, Thank you. Polly was authentically inspiring, a catalyst. Let's all carry the torch she lit...

[kittydebruin]

That's the way forward, what a spirit! Beautifull interview!

[CatherineMeeson]

Fantastic interview thank you for the great questions Mat and the succinct answers Polly. We are with you 100%, it must be so and so it is amen. Lets manifest the million protectors, I am actively sharing links and talking about your work in my creative projects at the moment linking back and forth to help #stopecocide <3 Much love

[eeveshmolikali]

Shortly after this interview was filmed, Polly Higgins was diagnosed, at 50, with advanced and pervasive cancer.    The doctors do not expect her to live more than a few weeks...…………….However she may yet, with characteristic chutzpah, defy that prediction - she certainly has the goodwill and support of thousands across the world, and remains fearless and positive.

[DougThreeFifty]

Polly, I will never forget "Who Is Charles Grant"

[gammaraygem]

large scale mining of lithium is now planned without any knowledge of the local population in North and central Portugal.
this will cause extensive ecological damage.

This is against european and local law, which states that local communities have a say in whats going on.
is there ANY LAWYER out there who can adress this ?


It is not yet too late to STOP this crime.


Fortescue (worlds 4th largest australian mining company) has been given mining rights, on april 9th 2019, but locals know nothing about this, nor the extensive damage this will cause to the ecosystem.
This is largely the area that was hit by the huge 16-17october 2017 fires which was just a preparation by these criminal mining companies to make the land worthless, to demoralise the population, so it can be disowned at reduced prices.


i just joined EDI, but dont know what to do now.

[castorzwieback]

Yeah, well. Good luck defining what an eco system actually is! Many problems here.