Austria at UN: consider making ecocide an international crime

At a UN Security Council open debate on the effects of climate change on peace and security, Austrian Ambassador Alexander Marschik raised the issue of widespread and longterm damage to the environment.  He suggested that “the international community should consider making [such damage] a crime under international law — referred to as “ecocide”. 

Ambassador Marschik was among many state representatives at the meeting stressing the need for specific attention to be paid to the nexus of climate and security, strengthening multilateralism and providing specific resources to address it.