40 days to COP - a youth call to action
This guest blog is part of a series intended as a dedicated space for the many global movements/campaigns around the globe confronting ecosystem destruction to share their stories, narratives and perspectives.
This guest blog was written by Reagan Elijah, Political scientist, Co-lead at Youth For Ecocide law Africa and Co-founder Debt For Climate Uganda.
COP is the annual event where thousands of people across the world meet to discuss solutions to the global climate crisis. This year is the 28th COP hosted by the United Arab Emirates and its president is Sultan Al Jaber- the leader of the largest oil company in the UAE.
What does this mean?
This means that there is significant risk of nothing much changing following the hallmarks of previous COPs. It's most likely to be more of the same empty promises and sweet beautiful speeches.
So what needs to change.
In my view, I think we need to change the tone of this conversation to a more strong and durable dialogue.
How?
I agree with my colleague Jojo Mehta that what is missing from the environmental agenda is criminal law. Criminal law is what we use to draw the red line between what is morally acceptable and what is not acceptable. And what is happening to nature and ecosystems is morally unacceptable.
Climate Justice in the sense of the proposed loss and damage fund, climate finance and the 2015 Paris Agreement targets of phasing out fossil fuels and keeping global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius won't make much sense unless it's centered on an international crime of Ecocide under the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court. The word justice and criminal law here are very important because for a long time people have been talking about sustainability without justice. We cannot talk about achieving climate justice without an international criminal law to protect this desired justice. The crime of ecocide is something that undermines justice and the international established legal order to promote climate justice, social justice and environmental justice. That's the tragedy of Ecocide.
What must we do then?
On the road to COP28, we must create public awareness and this public awareness is not merely to tell people that climate change is bad because everyone including world leaders and polluters know it's bad. What we need is behavior change - something that the criminalisation will offer.
We must ensure that those who engage in mass destruction of nature and ecosystems are punished in accordance with the law. We need to amend the Rome statue to recognize Ecocide as the 5th international crime against peace alongside genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression.
We must spread this message and solution at COP28. There's no foundational criminal law to prevent mass destruction of nature. What we need to do right now is to change the law to protect nature. There's no way in which we are going to eradicate Ecocide and all injustices associated with climate change without changing people's behavior.
We must therefore create an environment where, through new internationally recognised legislation, mass environmental damage becomes morally unacceptable. This is something that's going to persist in climate diplomacy and the framework of the UNFCCC but it's only through the international Criminal Court that we can ensure true safeguarding.
I have been searching for the true definition of evil and I think I have come to define it. Evil is a lack of empathy. It's the lack of feeling for your fellow humans and their surroundings. This is what connects all perpetrators throughout history.
At COP28, advocates of climate and ecological justice must make the most of the opportunity and make every conversation about ecocide law. New domestic ecocide bills are being proposed or progressing every week throughout the globe. Momentum is on our side, but time is not. I call on all those attending COP28 to use your influence and access to put pressure on member states of the International Criminal Court to do something courageous and support recognition of an international crime of ecocide.
Follow the 40 Days to COP campaign on Instagram —>