Environmental lawyer Andrew Waite on "ecocide" and equilibrium

LONDON (AlertNet) - 'Ecocide' - the destruction of ecosystems - should be criminalised when people are culpable and when they have been negligent in some way, Andrew Waite, vice president of the European Environmental Law Association, said at an event held in London by Net Impact recently.

At the the event, environmental lawyer Polly Higgins outlined the proposed law of ecocide, which she says should be recognised by the United Nations as a fifth crime against peace alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.

Waite, co-founder of the UK Environmental Law Association, an expert on climate change and a partner at Berwin Leighton Paisner law firm in London, takes a holistic approach to environmental law through the principle of equilibrium.

"The principle of environmental equilibrium is an important guide for setting boundaries for how other environmental laws work," Waite told AlertNet during an interview at the event.

Net Impact is a network of students and professionals who believe business can create a more environmentally sustainable society.

- Julie Mollins, AlertNet, London

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• ecocide
• Andrew Waite
• Net Impact
• environment
• law
• environmental law
• ecosystems
• Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP
• Polly Higgins
• climate change
• AlertNet
• Julie Mollins