Page 5 - NBYNews December 2019 Issue

Answering: What is Ecocide?

issue permits for it, when insurers can no International Criminal Court (ICC), icc-
machinery to ply veins of precious longer underwrite it, when investors can
metals from the seabed is ruining no longer back it, when CEOs can be held cpi.int; Stop Ecocide, stopecocide.earth.
marine ecosystems we still know little criminally responsible for it, the harm
about. EarthTalk® is produced by Roddy
will stop.” Scheer & Doug Moss for the 501(c)3
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve heard of suicide, In recent years Scottish activist Polly nonprofit EarthTalk. See more at
homicide and genocide, but what is ecocide? Higgins championed the cause of CONTACTS: Arthur Galston’s “An https://emagazine.com. To donate,
— Leslie P., Carrboro, NC getting the International Criminal Court Accidental Plant Biologist,” visit https://earthtalk.org. Send
(ICC), an independent judicial body plantphysiol.org/content/128/3/786; questions to: question@earthtalk.org.
created by the United Nations in 1998, to
While the concept of “ecocide” may be recognize ecocide as a ”crime against
new to many of us, the practice of willfully peace” in the eyes of international law. License Fee Reduced for
destroying large areas of the natural Her work focused on getting the ICC to Disabled Veterans
environment has been around about as long add ecocide as the fifth prosecutable
as humans — although we got a lot better at “core international crime” (along with CDFW Offers Special Opportunities Details on how to apply for these
it using the machinery we developed during genocide, crimes against humanity, war and Reduced-Fee Licenses for Disabled
the industrial revolution. Bioethicist Arthur crimes and crimes of aggression). Sadly, licenses can be found on CDFW’s
Galston first started batting the term around Higgins succumbed to cancer at age 50 Veterans and Recovering Service website.
in the 1970s to describe intentional in April 2019, but her efforts to Members Special hunting blinds have been
widespread ecological destruction, especially institutionalize ecocide as a major Service-related injuries need not constructed to be accessible to
as it pertained to ruining inhabited international crime lives on with other keep veterans from enjoying wildlife individuals with mobility
environments so people couldn’t live there activists. and the great outdoors. America’s impairments at some state wildlife
anymore. Higgins left her career as an attorney disabled and recovering veterans get a areas and national wildlife refuges.
One classic example of ecocide in modern to fight for the planet. She wrote three break on the price of sport fishing and More information, including a list of
history is American troops’ widespread books, Eradicating Ecocide, Earth is Our hunting licenses and are provided areas with waterfowl hunting
application of the toxic herbicide Agent Business, and I Dare You to Be Great. some special opportunities in opportunities for mobility impaired
Orange across Southeast Asia during the California.
Vietnam War in the late 1960s. It was used to “Destroying the planet is currently hunters is available on the
clear some 12,000 square miles of tropical permitted,” says Jojo Mehta of the non- Reduced-fee sport fishing and CDFW’s website.
rainforest to enable flushing out the profit Stop Ecocide. “That is how hunting licenses are available to both
“enemy,” despite the toll on civilians and the ecosystems are being destroyed every resident and nonresident disabled CDFW will attempt to
environment. day by dangerous industrial activity, veterans. Any honorably discharged, accommodate any qualified hunter
exacerbating the climate emergency and disabled veteran with a 50 percent or
There are also plenty of present-day destroying our forests, our soils, our greater service-connected disability with a disability, but they must have
examples, including: mountaintop removal rivers and the lands that we love.” drawn a tag or reservation for that
coal mining in Appalachia whereby miners who wants to hunt or fish in California hunt. Hunters with a disability who
blast through hundreds of feet of earth to Mehta points out that any of the 122 is eligible. The 2019 Disabled Veteran are drawn for a hunt should contact
access thin seams of coal; the “fracking” for member states of the ICC can formally Sport Fishing License and Disabled the hunt coordinator directly so that
oil and gas across wide swaths of Canada’s suggest adding ecocide as a major Veteran Hunting License cost only CDFW staff can accommodate them
Alberta tar sands that has so far destroyed international crime. Stop Ecocide is $7.47 when purchased at CDFW license for that hunt or find them another
thousands of square miles of boreal forest working with small Pacific island counters, or $7.82 when purchased opportunity. If you have additional
and peat bogs while releasing hundreds of nations which are already “feeling the from an authorized license agent.
tons of greenhouse gases into the sharp end of climate change” to urge questions or requests regarding
atmosphere; the dumping of crude oil and ICC to finally adopt ecocide as another Hunters and anglers may apply for accessibility, please contact CDFW’s
toxic waste into Ecuador’s Amazon by oil crime it prosecutes. reduced-fee disabled veteran licenses EEO Office at (916) 651-9315 or (916)
companies too focused on profits to do the “Serious harm to the Earth is by mail or in person at any CDFW 653-9089.
right thing about waste removal; and deep preventable,” urges Mehta. “When license sales office, or submit the CDFW also works with military
sea mining whereby the use of heavy government ministers can no longer required documentation to the CDFW installations on wildlife management
License and Revenue Branch to and provides tags for those
Scottish activist Polly Higgins prequalify for disabled veteran installations to issue to military
7/4/68 - 4/21/19 licenses. After an applicant receives personnel for deer and tule elk
notification from CDFW that their hunting opportunities.
customer record has been updated, Reduced-fee sport fishing license
they will be able to purchase low-cost applications for 2020 became
disabled veteran sport fishing and available on Nov. 15. California
hunting license anywhere licenses are sport fishing licenses are valid Jan. 1
sold. through Dec. 31 each year, and make
Reduced-fee hunting and fishing excellent holiday gifts for veterans.
licenses are available at the same prices Hunting licenses are valid July 1
for recovering service members, through June 30. Additional
defined as a member of the National validations tags, and cards are
Guard, or a Reserve, who is required for certain species and areas
undergoing medical treatment, and must be purchased at the regular
recuperation or therapy and is in an fee.
outpatient status while recovering Fishing and hunting regulations
from a serious injury or illness related and more information about licenses
to the member’s military service. are available on the CDFW website.

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