Ecocide is crime against peace, say Friends
'It is our hope that other Area Meetings might join with us and support our concern that ecocide should become law.’
Hampshire & Islands Area Meeting has decided that it will put forward to Meeting for Sufferings a concern that ecocide should become law and be made part of the Statute of Rome.
ndover Meeting, told the Friend that the discernment leading to this decision was taken by the Sustainability Action Group. This was created by the Area Meeting last year and is made up of representatives from each Meeting within the area.
She said: ‘Over the last year we have made a survey of energy use by Meetings, heard from many interesting speakers and talked about issues such as food, transport and, most recently, ecocide.’
‘In June 2021 legal experts defined and put forward a new proposed category of international crime: “ecocide”. If taken up by parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), it would become the fifth category of offences to be prosecuted under the court, alongside war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.’
Ecocide is defined as the: ‘unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts’.
Helen Moore added: ‘It has been a very exciting development for the concern to be minuted to go to Meeting for Sufferings. We really do hope that progress will be made for further support from BYM.’
The decision was made on 7 October when Friends minuted that this action would be taken. On Facebook, Helen Moore wrote: ‘This [the minute] included an appendix of recommendations on how local Friends might act upon this concern and how we are asking Britain Yearly Meeting to act on our behalf. We would be happy to share this with you. It is our hope that other Area Meetings might join with us and support our concern that ecocide should become law.’
Friends who want to join the online Sustainability Action Meetings, or find out more, can contact the convenor, David George at utilityfilms@gmail.com.
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