Atrocity Crimes and Ecocide: Interrelations between Armed Conflict, Violence, and Harm to the Environment

This chapter focuses on the interrelationship between atrocity crimes and anthropogenic environmental degradation. The environment as cause, tool, and victim of armed conflict will be discussed and the interpretation of the environment in the context of the three categories of mass atrocity crimes under the Rome Statute—genocide, crimes against hu­ manity, and war crimes—will be analyzed. Because of the limitations of international criminal law in relation to protecting the environment, it will be argued that recognizing ecocide as a core international crime may prevent humanity from consequent atrocities as well as protect the environment from being damaged.