What are some of the challenges in making ecocide a fifth crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court?

Making ecocide a fifth crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court presents challenges involving the court’s jurisdiction limits and the difficulty of defining the concept of ecocide consistently and in a measurable way. Another problem is that severe, long-term harm to people, other species, and natural resources may take years to become fully visible and is difficult to prove, given that the threshold of such harm is very high. Accusations of ecocide committed by Russia during the Russia-Ukraine War also demonstrated possible enforcement complexities at an international level, even as more countries consider domestic laws against ecocide or environmental harm.