Ecocide – The Time is NOW
Two competing forces are at work in our world. One force is trying to save our beautiful planet. The other, led largely by the US, is expanding the use of fossil fuels and the emission of deadly greenhouse gases, increasing the likelihood of ever-more frequent and dangerous floods, droughts, and deaths, rapidly leading us into a hot, bleak, and dangerous future.
The past few weeks have seen tremendous positive action.
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Costa Rica ruled that states must prevent irreversible environmental harm. This ruling will accelerate global criminalization of ecocide, wanton and widespread environmental destruction. It will advance environmental protection in international human rights law. And it is no surprise: the US does not accept the jurisdiction of this court, although nearly all other countries in the Western Hemisphere do.
Bangladesh 2020 | CC BY-SA 2.0
The Court emphasized that the climate crisis does not affect all people equally. Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant communities, rural and fishing populations, women, children, older persons, and socio-economically marginalized groups face disproportionate impacts. The Court ruled that states must prevent harm and ensure protection for these groups, affirming that climate action is a human rights obligation — not a political choice.
On July 24, 2025, the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, known as the World Court, ruled that countries are legally obligated to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to protect the climate.
The Court further ruled that if States breach these obligations, they incur legal responsibility and may be required to cease the wrongful conduct and make full reparation.
The case was brought to the Court by young people from three island nations that are rapidly becoming underwater from rising seas – and by 130 other countries, but not the US.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said, “This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice, and for the power of young people to make a difference.”
These top-down global efforts speak loudly. The US is isolated in continued denial of the destruction caused by fossil fuels. The powerful lobbies of gas, oil, and coal companies buy political candidates, fight against climate lawsuits, and influence the current government to put short-term profit ahead of sustaining our shared home.
Our voices must be heard. The time is NOW.
Tomorrow may be too late.
Ellen J. Kennedy, Ph.D., July 2025