ecocide

[ek-uh-sahyd, ee-kuh-]

noun

1. the destruction of large areas of the natural environment by such activity as nuclear warfare, overexploitation of resources, or dumping of harmful chemicals.

ecocide

/ ˈiːkəˌsaɪd, ˈɛkə- /

noun

1. total destruction of an area of the natural environment, esp by human agency

Other Word Forms

• ecocidal adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ecocide¹

An Americanism dating back to 1965–70; eco- + -cide

Example Sentences

The term “ecocide” had been coined in the late 1960s to describe the U.S. military’s use of herbicides like Agent Orange and incendiary weapons like napalm to battle guerrilla forces that used jungles and marshes for cover.

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An international campaign currently underway calls for an amendment to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to add ecocide as a fifth prosecutable crime alongside genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression.

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Some countries have adopted their own ecocide laws.

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Vietnam was the first to legally state in its penal code that “Ecocide, destroying the natural environment, whether committed in time of peace or war, constitutes a crime against humanity.”

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Both Russia and Ukraine also have ecocide laws, but these have not prevented harm or held anyone accountable for damage during the ongoing conflict.

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