Inquire
Investigate
Instructions
Inspire
One-Pager Directions & Rubric
One-Pager Templates
Investigate
Historical Context, Glossary, Definition Chart
Investigate
Frayer Model
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Inquire
Ecocide and International Law
Instructions: Read the following quote. Write down key words, ideas, and your thoughts or reaction.
“All mankind is tied together; all life is interrelated, and we are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of identity. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
Instructions: Answer the question before and after watching the video.
What do you think ecocide is?
before
after
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Inquire
Ecocide and International Law
Instructions: Read the following quotes from Greta Thunberg and record what you think and feel.
“Ecocide, and environmental destruction, is an act of warfare…they (Russia) are deliberately targeting the environment and people’s livelihood and homes and therefore also deliberately destroying lives because this is after all a matter of people…”
“It is about Ukrainians suffering from this war …it is also about everyone else suffering as a consequence…for example the millions of people dependent upon food grown in Ukraine.”
“We can create accountability so that Russia is held accountable for its actions and its crimes and so that the affected people can have a possibility to recover and so that…Ukraine can reconstruct.”
Instructions: Think-Pair-Share. Read the following quote and record what you think and feel.
"The environment risks becoming the ‘silent victim of war’ with about 30% of Ukraine's territory contaminated with explosive objects and over 2.4 million hectares of forests damaged, Ukraine's prosecutor general Andriy Kostin said in a Twitter post to mark the meeting."
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Investigate
Instructions: Add to this document as you learn about ecocide.
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Non-examples
Frayer Model
Ecocide and International Law
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Investigate
Instructions: Complete the following tasks.
Ecocide and International Law
Read this article about the proposed legal definition of ecocide. Using the article and the glossary, fill in the Frayer Model with the definition and some characteristics of ecocide .
Watch the Our Forests Timelapse video and discuss with your group any connections you notice between deforestation and climate change, as well as any possible connections to ecocide.
As you learn about forests as carbon sinks, discuss the question, “How are humans interconnected with nature?” Observe the photo of our local environment and reflect on the question: “How are you connected with nature?”
Discuss the quotes on the slideshow and write down facts that support the argument that deforestation during peacetime could be considered ecocide in the examples section fo the Frayer Model. If you have evidence of examples of deforestation that are not ecocide, write those in the non-examples.
Brainstorm with your group other potential examples and non-examples of ecocide and add them to the Frayer Model.
Historical Context: Ecocide
How the International Criminal Court Works
“The (International Criminal) Court's founding treaty, called the Rome Statute (1998), grants the ICC jurisdiction over four main crimes.
First, the crime of genocide is characterised by the specific intent to destroy in whole or in part a national, ethnic, racial or religious group by killing its members or by other means: causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; or forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.
Second, the ICC can prosecute crimes against humanity, which are serious violations committed as part of a large-scale attack against any civilian population. The 15 forms of crimes against humanity listed in the Rome Statute include offences such as murder, imprisonment, sexual assault, enforced disappearances, enslavement.
Third, war crimes which are grave breaches of the Geneva conventions in the context of armed conflict and include, for instance, the use of child soldiers; the killing or torture of persons such as civilians or prisoners of war; intentionally directing attacks against hospitals, historic monuments, or buildings dedicated to religion, education, art, science or charitable purposes.
Finally, the fourth crime falling within the ICC's jurisdiction is the crime of aggression. It is the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, integrity or independence of another State. The definition of this crime was adopted through amending the Rome Statute at the first Review Conference of the Statute in Kampala, Uganda, in 2010.
On 15 December 2017, the Assembly of States Parties adopted by consensus a resolution on the activation of the jurisdiction of the Court over the crime of aggression as of 17 July 2018.
See The Rome Statute and Elements of Crimes”
Ecocide was first used in 1970 in relation to Agent Orange, a defoliant used in the Vietnam War. Here is a timeline of the term.
Here are different definitions of ecocide. Note: the definition used in this unit is the most recently proposed definition.
Here are ecocide laws that exist today. These laws are not affiliated with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
It is a war crime in the ICC to commit certain acts against the environment during war time, but the law is not comprehensive nor does it include acts during peacetime.
The proposed definition would give jurisdiction to the ICC over ecocide, and place ecocide alongside the other four main crimes the ICC addresses: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggrression.
Investigate
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Investigate
Glossary
unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts
ecocide
single acts or omissions, or cumulative acts or omissions
act
action of clearing a wide area of trees
deforestation
the Earth, its biosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, as well as outer space
environment
a permanent international court established in 2002 to investigate, prosecute, and try individuals accused of committing the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole, namely the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression
International Criminal Court
long term shifts in weather patterns and temperatures, mainly caused by human activities, especially the burning of fossil fuels
Human-caused climate change
the international treaty that established the International Criminal Court in 1998 and entered into force in 2002
Rome Statute of the ICC
against the law; illegal; against moral or ethical standards
unlawful
with reckless disregard for damage which would be clearly excessive in relation to the social and economic benefits anticipated
wanton
damage which extends beyond a limited geographic area, crosses state boundaries, or is suffered by an entire ecosystem or species or a large number of human beings
widespread
damage which involves very serious adverse changes, disruption or harm to any element of the environment, including grave impacts on human life or natural, cultura,l or economic resources
severe
damage which is irreversible or which cannot be redressed through natural recovery within a reasonable period of time
long-term
Condition | Definition | Evidence | Present/ Absent |
Causes of climate change | |||
act | includes single acts or omissions, or cumulative acts or omissions | | |
unlawful | against the law; illegal; against moral or ethical standards | | |
wanton | with reckless disregard for damage which would be clearly excessive in relation to the social and economic benefits anticipated | | |
with knowledge of substantial likelihood (of effects) | | | |
Effects of climate change | |||
severe | damage which involves very serious adverse changes, disruption or harm to any element of the environment, including grave impacts on human life or natural, cultural or economic resources | | |
widespread | damage which extends beyond a limited geographic area, crosses state boundaries, or is suffered by an entire ecosystem or species or a large number of human beings | | |
long-term | damage which is irreversible or which cannot be redressed through natural recovery within a reasonable period of time | | |
environment | the earth, its biosphere, cryosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere, as well as outer space | | |
Ecocide:* Unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.
*Proposed legal definition from an Independent Expert Panel for a proposed amendment to the Rome Court Statute of the International Criminal Court (source)
Who: The person or group charged with the crime of ecocide/responsible for ecocide:
Ecocide Definition Chart
Name _______________________________ Date ___________
Investigate
Inspire
| Exceeds (4) | Meets (3) | Developing (2) | Doesn’t Meet (1) |
| Indicates a clear understanding of the definition of ecocide within the context of the proposed international law by representation of all characteristics through words or symbols | Indicates understanding of the definition of ecocide within the context of the proposed international law by representation of many characteristics through words or symbols | Indicates some understanding of the definition of ecocide within the context of the proposed international law by representation of one or more characteristics through words or symbols somewhat accurately | Indicates no evidence of understanding of the definition of ecocide within the context of the proposed international law |
| Provides a deep analysis of ecocide by critiquing and evaluating characteristics, influences, causes, and both short and long-term effects, including humans’ interconnectedness and interdependence nature. | Provides a proficient analysis of ecocide by critiquing and evaluating characteristics, influences, causes, and/or both short and long-term effects of ecocide, including humans’ interconnectedness and/or interdependence with nature. | Shows some analytical skills by giving some examples of characteristics, influences, causes, or short or long-term effects of ecocide, but may not do so accurately or may not include humans’ interconnectedness and/or interdependence with nature. | No specific evidence of critique or evaluation of ecocide based on the criteria. |
One-Pager Rubric
Student ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Instructions: Create a one-pager using a template or a blank sheet of paper. Integrate evidence and quotes from the lesson in your drawing.
Please include:
Understanding
Analysis
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________
Name ________________________________ Date ___________________________