Ecocide is the focus of the final episode of Apple TV’s series Extrapolations. Stop Ecocide International says such trials will likely be possible by 2030.

LONDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, April 21, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- PEOPLE are more likely to be tried for ecocide in 2030 than 2070 according to advocacy NGO Stop Ecocide International.

The comment comes on the day (21/04) Apple TV launches the highly anticipated final episode of their eight-part climate crisis drama Extrapolations, focusing on the crime of Ecocide.

In the episode, Nicholas Bilton, played by Kit Harrington, stands trial for Ecocide - the crime of causing widespread and long-term damage and destruction of ecosystems. The series sees Bilton face courts in the year 2070 after decades of environmental damage perpetrated by the company Alpha.

The dystopian series is intended to show the future we may encounter if we continue down our current path of ecological disruption, however, it is likely we will see individuals and companies stand trial for Ecocide far sooner than is portrayed.

March saw the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee vote unanimously to include ‘ecocide’ in the EU’s Environmental Crime Directive. Over the coming months this will proceed through the further stages of EU law-making and may be seen on statute books as soon as this year.

Discussion of criminalising Ecocide has also been taking place the International Criminal Court (ICC) in recent years. The ICC’s Rome Statute includes “widespread, long-term and severe damage” to the environment as part of their definition of war crimes. However, this legislation is currently only applicable to Ecocide that occurs during war.

While trials for Ecocide are portrayed as a long way off in the Apple TV drama, it is increasingly likely we will see offenders tried for Ecocide within this decade.

JoJo Mehta, Executive Director of Stop Ecocide said:
“An international criminal offence of Ecocide is not a distant prospect. Already governments around the world from Brazil to Belgium are looking at making this a reality. People are far more likely to be tried for ecocide as an international crime in or before 2030 rather than in 2070. Ecocide is as devastating to the planet as genocides are to whole populations.”

Today (21/04) Stop Ecocide International will be joining a host of major social and environmental NGOs, companies and charities such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Global Justice Now, CAFOD, Ecosia, Ecotricity and many more, gathering in and around London’s Parliament for The Big One event organised by Extinction Rebellion.

Rebecca Hesketh
Higginson Strategy
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