Ecocide Mock Trial

Written By: - Date published: 9:22 am, September 29th, 2011 - 5 comments
Categories: climate change, law, sustainability - Tags: ,

Ecocide Mock Trial @ UK’s Supreme Court in London

The crime of ecocide will be tested, as if it is already law, by barristers before a judge and jury.

The mock trial this Friday on 30 September will last just one day and will stream live onto the internet worldwide from the UK Supreme Court. Legal argument will put as to whether Ecocide and the Earth Right to Life should be applied against Mr X.

Michael Mansfield QC (prosecuting barrister) and Nigel Lickley QC (defence barrister) will lead the case for and against Mr X. Mr X has been charged with a number of ecocides – which one will be tried will be determined on the day – and could be:

– Deforestation of the Amazon
– Arctic drilling
– Fracking for shale gas in Nigeria
– Major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
– Bauxite mining of the Niyamgiri mountain
– Unconventional tar sands extraction in Canada
– Deep sea mining of the Central and Eastern Manus Basin

The trial will examine how the crime of Ecocide protects the Earth Right to Life.

The trial is not pre-scripted. It is ultimately for the jury to determine whether the crime of Ecocide is made out and whether the Earth Right to Life is breached. To watch the trial and for more information, go to:
http://www.thehamiltongroup.org.uk/common/ecocide.asp

* The UK Supreme Court:
The Hamilton Group is using the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom in London as the venue. This in no way implies endorsement by the Supreme Court of the opinions raised in the trial or the verdict reached by the trial jury.

** The Hamilton Group: The Hamilton Group (www.thehamiltongroup.org.uk) is a not-for-profit organisation encouraging businesses, organisations and communities to bring responsibility for the world to the forefront of their decision-making.
Contact Simon Hamilton: simon@thehamiltongroup.org.uk +44(0) 7931 382275

*** Polly Higgins:
Polly is the barrister and international environmental lawyer who proposed Ecocide as the law to protect the Earth Right to Life to the United Nations. Her book, Eradicating Ecocide, Laws and Governance to Prevent the Destruction of our Planet, sets out the law of Ecocide. She is campaigning for the Law of Ecocide to be made the 5th Crime Against Peace: www.eradicatingecocide.com, www.pollyhiggins.com

Recently in NZ at the University of Otago and in Wellington, Nelson and Auckland, to talk about her UN proposal, Polly was also interviewed on RadioNZ.  http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20110905-0925-polly_higgins_-_eradicating_ecocide-048.mp3

And on to Australia, Polly gave many presentations and was interviewed by media about ecocide and her UN proposal:

(a) Melbourne 3CR Community Radio 855AM
Taking Ecocide to the UN: Polly Higgins discusses the legal moves to protect the environment from corporate entities.
7 Sep 2011
http://pod.3cr.org.au/pod/3CRCast-2011-09-07-15556.mp3

(b) Byron Bay NSW BAY FM 99.9
9 Sep 2011
International Environmental Laywer Poly Higgins explains the proposed 5th Crime Against Peace: the crime of Ecocide
http://www.cpod.org.au/download.php/7124.mp3

(c) ABC Rural
UK lawyer proposes new legal framework to protect the environment
12 Sep 2011
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bushtelegraph/stories/2011/3315721.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/rural/telegraph/content/2011/s3315721.htm

(d) Realfoodnetwork.com.au video streaming
Polly Higgins – voted by the Ecologist as one of the “Worlds Top 10 Visionary Thinkers”
6 Sep 2011
http://www.realfoodnetwork.com.au/apps/videos/videos/view/prev?channel_id=2895930&from_id=14115137

(e) Brisbane ABC 612 with Madonna King
14 Sep 2011
Ecocide: a proposed new law
http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2011/09/ecocide-a-new-international-law-proposed.html?site=brisbane&program=612_morning

Coverage and comments previously made about ecocide and Polly Higgins on The Standard include:
* /ecocide/
* /open-mike-04092011/

Remember: You heard it first here on The Standard !

– Jim Nald

5 comments on “Ecocide Mock Trial ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Afewknowthetruth 1
    29 September 2011 at 10:39 am

    Yes. Well the monetary and the economic system are both totally dependent on ecocide (or rather omnicide and eventually suicide for humanity). Without constant expansion of industrial activity -which translates into ever faster conversion of nature into waste- both fall over.

    We can therefore predict that, whatever the outcome of this mock trial, nothing will change. Corporations will keep looting and polluting till they can’t. And governments will continue to give them the green light to do so.

    The good news is, peak oil WILL demolish the present system over the coming decade.

    The bad news is, most societies are totally unprepared for what is on the horizon and remain firmly locked into denial of reality.

  2. Tigger 2
    29 September 2011 at 10:52 am

    Thanks for the heads up Jim. If only it were real…

  3. Bored 3
    29 September 2011 at 12:53 pm

    Polly is right up there with Naomi Klein and Vandana Shiva as a colossus accusing the status quo of the crimes we all commit by tacit acceptance of the same.

  4. prism 4
    29 September 2011 at 1:49 pm

    Good post Jim. Very full helpful and informative. I have imported copies of her book which remain to be read. So being able to catch more info on the tube is good. Thanks.

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