BELGIUM BECOMES 1ST EUROPEAN COUNTRY TO RECOGNISE ECOCIDE AS INTERNATIONAL LEVEL CRIME

In February 2024, Belgium’s Federal Parliament voted in favour of a new penal code for the country, which, for the 1st time in Europe, includes recognition of the crime of ecocide at both the national and international level.

The new code also includes:

1. Up to 20 years in prison for individuals guilty of ecocide
2. Up to €1.6 million in fines for corporations

When we think about war, we often focus on the human cost, like lives lost and cities destroyed. However, there's another serious issue that comes with war - the damage it does to our environment. Recent conflicts wars around the world have caused extensive environmental damage, described as ecocide.

Ecocide describes the mass destruction of nature by humans Ecocide threatens all human populations who are dependent on natural resources for maintaining ecosystems and ensuring their ability to support future generations.

Key points:

1. The conflict led to the release of toxic substances like lead, mercury, and depleted uranium into the environment due to explosions. This pollution affects air, water, and soil, posing serious health risks.
2. Industrial areas have seen disasters, with harmful leaks spreading poison across Ukraine and beyond. The war also increases the risk of nuclear accidents, contributes to CO2 emissions, and contradicts climate change efforts.
3. The situation highlights the need for addressing environmental impacts in conflict zones and international cooperation for recovery efforts.
4. These wars also show us that during conflicts, taking care of the environment is often not a priority. Rules to protect nature are ignored, leading to more damage, such as factories releasing dangerous chemicals without control. Moreover, the need for resources for war, like oil and metals, results in harmful activities like excessive mining and drilling, causing further environmental issues.
5. The environmental cost of war is a big concern because it not only affects the areas where the war is happening but can also have long-term global impacts, including contributing to climate change.

Efforts to Reduce Impact: There are rules and reports to try to reduce the environmental impact of war:

1. The Geneva Convention sets limits on how war can be fought to protect the environment.
2. The Brundtland Report talks about sustainable development and how conflict stops it.
3. The Stockholm Conference banned all weapons of mass destruction.
4. The 1992 Rio Conference said that war is bad for sustainable development and asked countries to follow environmental rules during war.
5. The Rome Statutes talk about countries' responsibility for environmental damage in wars.
6. The International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict highlights the need to protect the environment during conflicts.
7. The Draft Principles on Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts give guidelines for protecting the environment in wars.
8. The UN Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques tries to stop military use of environmental modification.

Challenges related to the environmental costs of war:  Understanding the environmental cost of war is hard, especially in places with a lot of biodiversity. It's difficult to measure the damage, and the military's pollution isn't included in the Paris Climate Agreement. After a war, rebuilding often focuses on homes and infrastructure instead of the environment. Climate change, partly caused by war, makes things worse by making resources scarce and increasing conflicts.

Ways to Reduce War's Impact on the Environment

1. The UN Framework on Climate Change could make rules about emissions from military and conflicts.
2. After conflicts, focus on recovery that is good for the environment.
3. Train the military on reducing emissions and protecting the environment.
4. Make the military eco-friendlier, like using electric vehicles and solar power. The UK and Switzerland are working on this.

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