ecocide

American  

[ek-uh-sahyd, ee-kuh-] / ˈɛk əˌsaɪd, ˈi kə- /

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.

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ecocide British  

/ ˈiːkəˌsaɪd, ˈɛkə- /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• ecocidal adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecocide

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

Example Sentences

On land, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots constituted "ecocide", contaminating soil and groundwater and causing long-term risks to people's health.

From Barron's

Araghchi described Israeli strikes on Tehran fuel depots as "ecocide" owing to the long-term risks to residents' health.

From Barron's

Linas and other residents posted images of workers spraying chemicals and used artificial intelligence to make illustrations in the style of old movie posters and magazine ads, some with the slogan “Stop the Ecocide!”

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Pitts dismisses this ecocide narrative and places the blame for environmental degradation where it belongs: with colonial intruders.

From The Wall Street Journal

In 1994 the Hollywood film “Rapa-Nui” rendered the mythical apocalypse into a technicolor epic of ecocide and cannibalism in which the Garden of Eden was destroyed.

From The Wall Street Journal