Implementation of Ecocide legislation on the Island of Ireland
Publications: Justice / Rights and Nature
The concept of ecocide is gaining traction globally, with several countries, including
Member States of the European Union, adopting or considering legislation.
• The EU is moving towards greater environmental corporate responsibility by revising its
Environmental Crime Directive (2008/99/EC) directive to include “offences comparable to
ecocide”.
• Both jurisdictions on the island of Ireland have environmental laws, but neither effectively
criminalise severe environmental destruction comparable to ecocide.
• Cross-border cooperation to establish a common legal framework is necessary to
criminalise and prevent ecocide on the island of Ireland in accordance with the principles
of the Good Friday Agreement.
• The criminalisation of ecocide in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland may
need to be accompanied by other policy instruments or governance reform to protect the
well-being of ecosystems and local communities. This will require enhanced
implementation of existing regulatory instruments, but also new initiatives such as
legislation recognising the rights of nature, inter-agency cooperation, enhanced crossborder/
all-island cooperation and more robust public participation in environmental
decision-making.
• The worst-ever contamination of Lough Neagh, the largest waterbody on the island of
Ireland, should be considered an ‘all-island ecocide’ due to its ecological importance on the
island of Ireland (and indeed internationally) and the extent of the pollution and
destructive practices such as sand mining, habitat destruction, water pollution and waste
dumping which have caused catastrophic degradation.
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