Claim 3: Crime of Ecocide
Claim 3: Crime of Ecocide
Description
The term “ecocide” describes actions intentionally or knowingly carried out by humans. They systematically cause severe and widespread damage and destruction of nature. This includes large-scale deforestation, water and soil pollution, and other activities that endanger the survival of ecosystems. At present, numerous voices are calling for ecocide to be recognized as a punishable crime before the International Criminal Court and other international courts. So far, however, it has not been codified in international law. The crime of ecocide is included in Ukrainian legislation.
Picture by Andrea Marinelli Photographer for the Sensing for Justice project
Claims by the Parties brought forward in the GROMADA Moot Court
Ukraine
Legal counsels of Ukraine bring forward that overall, Russia’s military conduct was systematically causing severe and widespread damage to the environment; the conduct hence fulfills the criteria of ecocide and is unlawful.
Russia
The representatives of Russia respond that the crime of ecocide does not exist as an international crime, and, in any case, the ICJ Chamber for Environmental Matters, who decided over the claims in the Moot Court, lacks jurisdiction over ecocide.
Questions
The questions assessed under this claim:
Was there sufficient proof of attacks against the environment?
Have we seen systematic attacks or policies with severe and widespread environmental consequences?
Focus on the following sub-areas of international law…
Anna Mckean
Environmental and war researcher at the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS)
Inna Khomenko
Department of Meteorology and Climatology at the Odessa State Environmental University
Mentors
Witness
Viktoriia Gorbunova
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Luxembourg and Chair of EuroPsy National Awarding Committee in Ukraine
Testimonials
Kateryna Opanasenko
Participant, Ukraine
The program was exceptionally well-organized, and I truly appreciated the variety of interdisciplinary courses offered. Each session provided valuable insights into legal frameworks for environmental protection, particularly in the context of Ukraine. The discussions were engaging, and I learned so much from both the faculty and my fellow participants.
Diwakar Dhakal
Participant, Nepal
The summer school was exceptionally amazing and a good learning opportunity for me. I am so fortunate to be part of it and expand my networking, along with enormous amounts of takeaways from my law school.
Viktoriia Gorbunova
Expert witness
When you’re invited to a Moot Court, you expect another student event—not something that could shape minds. However, the GROMADA project’s Moot Court is different. Addressing environmental war crimes committed by Russia, the proceedings painfully reflected a harsh reality. As an expert witness, it was an honour to speak on the mental health impacts of war—solastalgia, eco-anxiety, and environmental grief—the invisible wounds left by ecocide. This wasn’t just a simulation. It sparked awareness and ignited a deeper public reckoning with the human cost of environmental destruction.
