Ecocide: Harm, Responsibility & Lived Realities

This interdisciplinary event brings together legal and anthropological perspectives to critically examine the emerging crime of ecocide and the broader challenges of addressing large-scale environmental harm.

Speakers will offer their insights into the legal complexities of defining and prosecuting ecocide—particularly around the question of mental culpability and the role of concepts such as intent, recklessness, and “wantonness”. Alternatives to existing legal frameworks will be explored, including proposals for a socially grounded necessity defence to improve clarity and enforceability.

The discussion will also turn to the lived realities of environmental degradation, with a focus on palm oil cultivation in Indonesia. Drawing on ethnographic research, we will examine how economic development has come at a high environmental and social cost, raising questions about land rights, governance, and justice for affected communities.

Finally, we will address the difficult question of corporate accountability in cases of ecocide. How should corporations be sentenced if convicted of environmental crimes? What would effective retribution and restoration look like, especially from the perspective of victims and communities?

The event will consist of input from all speakers, followed by an open Q&A session to engage with the audience and deepen the discussion.

Luke Johnson (University of Northumbria), Pujo Semedi (Gadjah Mada University) and Mrinalini Shinde (University of Cologne).