What is Ecocide ?

Why in the News?

A recent report from Lebanon accused Israel of committing “ecocide” during its 2023-24 military actions in southern Lebanon, citing the reshaping of its physical and ecological landscape.

Definition & Origin:

• Definition: “Ecocide” refers to the most severe forms of environmental harm caused by human activities on a major scale or affecting a vast area.
• Origin: The term was coined in 1970 by Prof. Arthur W. Galston, a Yale plant biologist, who used it to describe the massive, long-term environmental devastation caused by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

Current Legal Framework & Limitations:

• Anthropocentric Focus: Current international laws are human-centric; they address environmental damage only when it directly affects human health or displacement, rather than viewing the environment as a distinct entity needing protection.
• Existing Provisions:
  • Rome Statute: Classifies “widespread, long-term and severe” damage to the natural environment as a war crime, but only during wartime.
  • Geneva Conventions: Prohibit methods of warfare that cause significant environmental damage.
  • ENMOD (Environmental Modification Convention): Since 1978, it has prohibited the deliberate manipulation of natural processes causing widespread or long-term effects.

Challenges in Legal Implementation:

• Jurisdictional Hurdles: Countries most frequently accused of environmental destruction (e.g., Iran, Lebanon) are often not State Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), complicating prosecution.
• Amendment Process: Amending the Rome Statute to include ecocide as a formal international crime requires a two-thirds majority of States Parties, making it a difficult political process.
• Lack of Precedent: To date, there has been no direct prosecution launched specifically for environmental destruction caused by war.

Emerging Developments:

• Domestic Codification: Vietnam (1990) was the first country to codify ecocide domestically. Other countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Chile, France, and Belgium, have since incorporated ecocide or equivalent concepts into their domestic laws.
• Convention on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law (2025): The Council of Europe adopted this treaty to criminalize severe and large-scale environmental destruction.
  • It is the first legally binding international treaty to address this issue.
  • It introduces the principle of universal criminal jurisdiction, meaning acts committed abroad can be prosecuted in European domestic courts regardless of where the event occurred.