Do you remember the workshop of the Environmental Working Group (EnWG) about Ending Ecocide or the speech in the closing plenary of Agora Budapest by Polly Higgins? At this Spring Agora Rhein-Neckar, Prisca Merz from AEGEE-Passau and Director of End Ecocide in Europe was the person who reminded us that the main idea of their initiative is intriguingly simple: Environmental destruction must become a crime. The following interview was conducted by Laia Garcia Montufo, PR of the EnWG, during the Agora Rhein Neckar.
Laia Garcia: You just spoke about ecocide in the plenary and in the AEGEE Inspire at Agora Rhein-Neckar. Can you tell us a bit about these sessions?
Prisca Merz: First of all I would like to thank AEGEE for giving me the opportunity to use the Agora to inform AEGEE members of this project which I believe is extremely important for anyone in our generation.
Both sessions were great, in the plenary I just presented the idea briefly while Inspire AEGEE gave me the opportunity to give it a more personal approach and include more of my own motivations and ideas.
Actually, it is partially because of AEGEE that I’m involved in the European Citizens’ Initiative now. Due to AEGEE, I did become more European and also built a network that I can now rely on to find volunteers to help us with anything, from translations to the creation of promo materials.
Laia: How did you get involved in AEGEE and why did you become so active in the Ending Ecocide project?
Prisca Merz: I joined AEGEE back in 2006 right when I started university. I went to an information session on AEGEE and never left. I loved the idea and the people and I got very involved in AEGEE, the two biggest projects probably being Beyond Europe, the flagship project 2010-11, and managing ES1 Passau in 2012.
End Ecocide in Europe was actually my idea. I met Polly at a conference in April 2012 (co-sponsored by AEGEE) where she talked about making ecocide a crime and I immediately thought that this was such a powerful idea that it must happen. So I suggested to organize a European Citizens’ Initiative – and Polly liked this idea very much. So then I started organizing it, finding a team (with many AEGEE oldies by the way), writing a proposal, submitting it and waiting – until the day we got the happy news that it was accepted by the European Collection and that we could start collecting signatures.
Laia: Members have heard about ecocide in AEGEE and specially in the EnWG, but how would you explain it?
Prisca Merz: Eco-cide derives from the Greek “oikos”, meaning “house” or “home”, and the Latin “caedere” meaning “stike down, demolish, kill”. It is literally translated as “killing our home”. Defined as the extensive damage to, destruction or loss of ecosystems, it encompasses all major environmental disasters. Fukushima, Bhopal, Seveso or the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; deforestation, fracking, biodiversity loss or tar sands – all of these are potential ecocides and committing such ecocides could become a crime for which those responsible can be held accountable.
Prisca Merz speaking at HULT event
Laia: Why do you think we need the law of ecocide?
Prisca Merz: Currently, we see ecocide happening all over the world – and the current laws can’t stop it. We need one law that’s more powerful, that can stop this and take us away from the dangerous trajectory we are currently on – before we do irreperable damage to the planet which we all depend on for life.
I’m not a lawyer but I know that law can be very powerful. It sets the framework we operate in – by changing that framework, we provide companies and individuals with new guidelines for action – where people and planet come before profits.
Laia: The initiative was launched in January 21st, 2013, so 1 million signatures must be collected within 1 year from a minimum of 7 different countries in order for it to be considered by the European Commission. What is the current state of the European Citizens’ Initiative to End Ecocide?
Prisca Merz: We have almost reached 29,000 votes for a law to end ecocide. While this is a lot and a great achievement, we need to reach many more Europeans. If each AEGEE member signs and encourages their parents or grandparents to sign, we can double this number easily.
More and more people are joining our movement. The team is growing, we have every day new volunteers approaching us and more and more environmental organisations are coming on board. I am sure that there are 1 million people out there who think that ecocide is a crime – we just have to reach them, so they know about this law!
Laia: What will happen if the ECI reaches 1 million signatures?
Prisca Merz: The European Commission will have to consider our proposal. That means they have to meet with us, we would explain it and then they would evaluate it internally and adopt an answer in which they have to give reasons for the course of action they plan to take. In addition, we will have the opportunity to present our cause in a public hearing in the European Parliament.
So if the Commission decides to take this forward and we are able to ensure the political support of the governments, ecocide can actually become a crime.
Prisca Merz at the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon
Laia: How can someone get involved?
Prisca Merz: Our initiative is entirely run by volunteers. We have an EU-wide team that works on the overall initiative and we have country teams all over Europe to organise local activities and collect signatures. As an AEGEE member you could for example join one of our working groups (on IT, fundraising, PR, or design), help us with translations or join a country team. This means you would contact your local stakeholders, give interviews in your language, organise local action days, workshops, lectures – there are no limits to your creativity. We also welcome very much any AEGEE local who would want to organise a local activity and can help with providing materials and speakers.
Apart from that, you can of course spread the word in your network, follow us on facebook and twitter, share our news, contact celebrities to ask them to support us and write articles about us.
Laia: Anything else you really want to share with us?
Prisca Merz: This is a wonderful project, it’s different from other AEGEE projects in that it will really have an impact in this world – when we get our one million signatures, the policy-makers will have to listen to us! I’m extremely happy and privileged to be a part of such a movement and would welcome all of you to join us on our journey.
If you want to volunteer, please fill out our survey or contact Ramon at ramon@endecocide.eu.
Written by Laia Garcia Montufo, Public Relations of the EnWG and Liaison Officer towards the United Nations.