The Caribbean should support ecocide as an international cri… – MENAFN.COM

The Caribbean should support ecocide as an international cri… – MENAFN.COM

Small island states and countries with low-lying coast are the victims of ecocide. A draft law, unveiled on June 22, defines ecocide as"unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts". Getting the law accepted would be a long process. It could take years. And, that is precisely why small islands and low-lying coastal states should embrace and promote it now. Every year that passes brings greater dangers of irreparable damage without compensation. While Climate Change is not specifically mentioned in the draft law, supporting it and eventually joining in its enactment, would send a serious message to states and entities that do little or nothing to stop ecological damage to vulnerable countries. Something has to give in this unlevel playing field in which small island states and low-lying coastal states are made to suffer. Therefore, the initiative for a new international criminal law, called"Ecocide", by a group of legal experts, co-chaired by British Professor Philippe Sands QC, and Dior Fall Sow, a UN jurist and former prosecutor from Senegal, is heartening news. At least, it would open the door for