Pope Francis addressed the International Association of Penal Law in the Vatican and proposed that “sins against ecology” be added to the teachings of the Catholic Church. He also went a step further, saying “ecocide” should be a fifth category of crimes against peace at the international level.

The Pope described acts that “can be considered as ‘ecocide’: the massive contamination of air, land and water resources, the large-scale destruction of flora and fauna, and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying an ecosystem.”

He added: “By ‘ecocide’ we should understand the loss, damage and destruction of ecosystems of a given territory, so that its enjoyment by the inhabitants has been or may be severely affected. This is a fifth category of crimes against peace, which should be recognised as such by the international community.”

Global influence

This is exactly what Stop Ecocide is campaigning for. Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, said: ‘We’re thrilled to hear Pope Francis calling for serious harm to the Earth (ecocide) to be made a crime. His comments show he is aware of our work. With his global influence behind this, we hope to see many other Heads of State step forward in support.”

In order to add ecocide to the governing document of the International Criminal Court, known as the Rome Statute, any member Head of State may propose an amendment.

With a two-thirds majority the amendment can be adopted and enforced by those who sign up to it (to enforce for all 122 member States a 7/8 majority is required).

Many of the countries with the largest Catholic populations are signed up to the Rome Statute, including: Brazil (126M), Mexico (98M), Italy (50M), France (44M), Columbia (36M), Poland (33M), Spain (32M) and Democratic Republic of Congo (28M). 

For these member States – and others who aren’t, with sizable Catholic populations like the United States (71M) and the Philippines (85M) – it is important that the Pope said: “We are thinking of introducing into the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology, ecological sin, against the common home, because it is a duty.”

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from Stop Ecocide. 

The National Trust is releasing beavers into large enclosures at two sites in the south of England in the spring to boost wildlife and help combat flooding.

The schemes, which have been given the go-ahead by Government conservation agency Natural England, will see two pairs of the aquatic mammals each released into a separate enclosure at Holnicote, Somerset.

A third pair will be released into a fenced enclosure at Valewood on the Black Down Estate, on the edge of the South Downs in West Sussex.

Landscape

Beavers were once native in Britain but were hunted to extinction in the 16th century, though they have made a return to the wild in some parts of the country, including in Scotland and a small number on the River Otter in Devon.

They can also now be found in several areas in large enclosures where they are helping manage the landscape and habitats.

The animals are a “keystone” species, which means they manage the landscape around them, building dams, creating pools in rivers and streams that store water and slow the flow of the water downstream.

This is the first time the National Trust has released beavers on to its land, and it hopes the pairs at the two sites will help create a thriving habitat and increase the range of species and wildlife numbers.

It is also hoped they will help make the landscape more resilient to the extremes of climate change, storing water in dry times and reducing the rising risk of flooding.

Flash-flooding

At Holnicote, on the edge of Exmoor, the pairs will be released into two woodland enclosures of two hectares (five acres) and 2.7 hectares (6.7 acres) in size, alongside tributaries to the River Aller.

Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust at Holnicote, said: “Our aim is that the beavers become an important part of the ecology at Holnicote, developing natural processes and contributing to the health and richness of wildlife in the area.

“Their presence in our river catchments is a sustainable way to help make our landscape more resilient to climate change and the extremes of weather it will bring.”

The beavers at Holnicote will be part of a new project on the estate to restore the streams and rivers to a more natural state where they meander “like the branches of a tree”.

“The dams the beavers create will hold water in dry periods, help to lessen flash-flooding downstream and reduce erosion and improve water quality by holding silt,” he said.

System

At Valewood, the beavers will be introduced into a 15-hectare (37-acre) enclosure on the site which includes pasture, mixed woodland, two streams at the head of the River Wey catchment and areas of wetland.

David Elliott, National Trust lead ranger for Valewood in the South Downs, said: “Beavers are nature’s engineers and can create remarkable wetland habitats that benefit a host of species, including water voles, wildfowl, craneflies, water beetles and dragonflies.

“These in turn help support breeding fish and insect-eating birds such as spotted flycatchers.”

The beavers are expected to create little ponds, dams and rivulets along the stream at Valewood, making habitat that suits them and other wildlife.

They will be brought from Scotland, from the River Tay where they have been breeding since being illegally released some years ago, and will be released in the spring – with the trust spending the next few months readying the sites.

Both projects will be monitored with help from Exeter University and other organisations, looking at the environmental and water system changes to the landscape.

This Author

Emily Beament is the PA environment correspondent.

Pope Francis addressed the International Association of Penal Law in the Vatican and proposed that “sins against ecology” be added to the teachings of the Catholic Church. He also went a step further, saying “ecocide” should be a fifth category of crimes against peace at the international level.

The Pope described acts that “can be considered as ‘ecocide’: the massive contamination of air, land and water resources, the large-scale destruction of flora and fauna, and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying an ecosystem.”

He added: “By ‘ecocide’ we should understand the loss, damage and destruction of ecosystems of a given territory, so that its enjoyment by the inhabitants has been or may be severely affected. This is a fifth category of crimes against peace, which should be recognised as such by the international community.”

Global influence

This is exactly what Stop Ecocide is campaigning for. Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, said: ‘We’re thrilled to hear Pope Francis calling for serious harm to the Earth (ecocide) to be made a crime. His comments show he is aware of our work. With his global influence behind this, we hope to see many other Heads of State step forward in support.”

In order to add ecocide to the governing document of the International Criminal Court, known as the Rome Statute, any member Head of State may propose an amendment.

With a two-thirds majority the amendment can be adopted and enforced by those who sign up to it (to enforce for all 122 member States a 7/8 majority is required).

Many of the countries with the largest Catholic populations are signed up to the Rome Statute, including: Brazil (126M), Mexico (98M), Italy (50M), France (44M), Columbia (36M), Poland (33M), Spain (32M) and Democratic Republic of Congo (28M). 

For these member States – and others who aren’t, with sizable Catholic populations like the United States (71M) and the Philippines (85M) – it is important that the Pope said: “We are thinking of introducing into the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology, ecological sin, against the common home, because it is a duty.”

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from Stop Ecocide. 

The National Trust is releasing beavers into large enclosures at two sites in the south of England in the spring to boost wildlife and help combat flooding.

The schemes, which have been given the go-ahead by Government conservation agency Natural England, will see two pairs of the aquatic mammals each released into a separate enclosure at Holnicote, Somerset.

A third pair will be released into a fenced enclosure at Valewood on the Black Down Estate, on the edge of the South Downs in West Sussex.

Landscape

Beavers were once native in Britain but were hunted to extinction in the 16th century, though they have made a return to the wild in some parts of the country, including in Scotland and a small number on the River Otter in Devon.

They can also now be found in several areas in large enclosures where they are helping manage the landscape and habitats.

The animals are a “keystone” species, which means they manage the landscape around them, building dams, creating pools in rivers and streams that store water and slow the flow of the water downstream.

This is the first time the National Trust has released beavers on to its land, and it hopes the pairs at the two sites will help create a thriving habitat and increase the range of species and wildlife numbers.

It is also hoped they will help make the landscape more resilient to the extremes of climate change, storing water in dry times and reducing the rising risk of flooding.

Flash-flooding

At Holnicote, on the edge of Exmoor, the pairs will be released into two woodland enclosures of two hectares (five acres) and 2.7 hectares (6.7 acres) in size, alongside tributaries to the River Aller.

Ben Eardley, project manager for the National Trust at Holnicote, said: “Our aim is that the beavers become an important part of the ecology at Holnicote, developing natural processes and contributing to the health and richness of wildlife in the area.

“Their presence in our river catchments is a sustainable way to help make our landscape more resilient to climate change and the extremes of weather it will bring.”

The beavers at Holnicote will be part of a new project on the estate to restore the streams and rivers to a more natural state where they meander “like the branches of a tree”.

“The dams the beavers create will hold water in dry periods, help to lessen flash-flooding downstream and reduce erosion and improve water quality by holding silt,” he said.

System

At Valewood, the beavers will be introduced into a 15-hectare (37-acre) enclosure on the site which includes pasture, mixed woodland, two streams at the head of the River Wey catchment and areas of wetland.

David Elliott, National Trust lead ranger for Valewood in the South Downs, said: “Beavers are nature’s engineers and can create remarkable wetland habitats that benefit a host of species, including water voles, wildfowl, craneflies, water beetles and dragonflies.

“These in turn help support breeding fish and insect-eating birds such as spotted flycatchers.”

The beavers are expected to create little ponds, dams and rivulets along the stream at Valewood, making habitat that suits them and other wildlife.

They will be brought from Scotland, from the River Tay where they have been breeding since being illegally released some years ago, and will be released in the spring – with the trust spending the next few months readying the sites.

Both projects will be monitored with help from Exeter University and other organisations, looking at the environmental and water system changes to the landscape.

This Author

Emily Beament is the PA environment correspondent.

A growing number of highly-paid jobs are being advertised related to climate change and sustainability, a new study suggests.

Jobs such as a chief scientific officer and climate change representative are offering six figure salaries, said jobs site Glassdoor.

Satisfaction

A director of sustainability post was advertised with a salary of £85,000, while a corporate social responsibility manager position was on offer at £44,000.

John Lamphiere of Glassdoor said: “People these days are not just looking for a job, they are looking to align themselves with an organisation and a role that shares their values and beliefs.

“Whether directly or indirectly, these jobs for the climate conscious offer professional opportunities that are both meaningful and offer real job satisfaction.”

This Author

Alan Jones is the PA industrial correspondent.

The Conservative party must commit to keeping the fox hunting ban after the general election, the The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) has said.

The leading animal welfare charity was responding to reports that the party will not include a repeal of the Hunting Act in its manifesto, a direct contrast to its stance in both the 2015 and 2017 general elections.

LACS is also urging all political parties to commit to strengthening the Hunting Act by removing loopholes and exemptions that allow hunting with dogs to still take place.

Animal welfare

Chris Luffingham, director of campaigns for LACS, said: “Just keeping quiet about the fox hunting ban is not enough. It will only leave lingering suspicions that there could be future attempts by the party to repeal the fox hunting ban.”

Luffingham continued: “If the Conservatives fully reflect public opinion on animal welfare, they should also be looking to strengthen protections, and we are asking all parties to stand united against hunting and commit to strengthening the Hunting Act.”

The League recently commissioned polling by YouGov which revealed the majority of the British public want prison sentences for those caught illegally hunting foxes.

Kinder Britain

Polling commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports and carried out independently by Ipsos MORI in 2017 showed 85 percent of the British public are in favour of keeping the ban on fox hunting – this included 81 per cent of people in rural areas.

The same polling indicated that 73 per cent of Conservative Party supporters backed the fox hunting ban.

Luffingham added: “Support for a free vote on fox hunting was political poison for Theresa May two years ago costing the Tories valuable seats. Boris Johnson has the opportunity to show that he represents a kinder, more compassionate Britain committed to animal welfare.”

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from the League Against Cruel Sports.

A gathering of 40 Indigenous activists and video practitioners assembled in South Africa last month to discuss the global human and environmental crises and how we might solve them.

Activists came from all corners of Africa to meet and learn from other Indigenous peoples who are facing the same challenges across the continent. They took new skills home to their communities – in particular ways to use video to defend their territories,  preserve and protect their cultures and amplify their voices. 

Despite coming from different countries and communities, the Indigenous activists echoed concerns for their endangered cultures and threatened land. 

Living cultures

These worries united the Indigenous activists in attendance. Samwel Nangiria, a Maasai activist and InsightShare-trained video practitioner, said: “All over the world I have seen people crying, “culture is being eroded, culture is dying, traditional systems are dying” and therefore the bond between the land and the people is destroyed.” 

These echoes of shared thought came together to form a single voice shouting out for a united effort. This desire for unity and global community was enshrined in the formulation of a Pan-African Living Cultures Alliance (PALCA).

Francis Shomet, a Maasai activist from Tanzania, captured the importance of this moment: “For me, we have no choice, for me this is the most opportune time … PALCA is really timely and it is the only strategy I see right now.”

PALCA is an alliance of InsightShare’s African partners – among them Baka, Gabbra, Maasai, El Molo, Gamo, Pondoland and San communities – who want to harness the power of participatory video to defend their cultures and lands.

Through participatory video, Indigenous communities can create locally-led media that expresses their unique cosmovisions freely and without manipulation or ventriloquism. Ivan Vaalbooi, a member of the /’Aoni N//ng, San community of Southern Kalahari, offered this account: “Participatory video has been a mind-opening discovery, simple in method, yet very powerful. It definitely has a role to play in cultural revival and to help strengthen communities in restoring their identity.”

Empowering communities 

Participatory video empowers communities by giving them confidence in their cultural systems and traditional ecological knowledge, and by enabling them to communicate with similar groups.

Global connectivity for Indigenous peoples was much spoken about at the gathering and much celebrated. Magella Hassan, from the El Molo in northern Kenya, pronounced, “Now we are coming together as one community, as one people, as one nation, as one Africa, as one world.”

But it is not just other Indigenous communities the members of PALCA want to reach. There is a desire to work with governments, organisations and movements in the global north too.

There are some struggles in which we are all united and some systems under which we are all oppressed – here we have common cause. One cause that resonated with those at the gathering was the global plight of youth. Magella, a youth activist, said, “The youth are being affected all over the world, not just in my community.”

Concern about the future we leave for young people was tangible. Amos Leuka, a Maasai activist from Kenya, captured this anxiety in a Maasai proverb: the pride and shame of a community lies with the youth.

Leuka explained that without young people having influence “pride will lack meaning, because participation is paramount” – we encounter shame when we do not allow our youth to take positions of leadership and responsibility.

Participatory governance

Samwel confirmed this point: “Youth all over the world are devalued … [they] are worried about their future, because they don’t participate in constructing, in imagining their future … This is why you see youth in Europe and America taking to the streets as rebels. In the context of Africa, Indigenous youth are even further from being able to engage in decision making.”

This leads us to question the role each of us plays in creating true participatory governance. This is not just a matter of achieving influence for ourselves, making sure our own voices are heard; it is also a matter of ensuring that other people’s voices are heard.

This is an increasingly important consideration for movements in the global north, like Extinction Rebellion. What can be learned and applied to strengthen diverse communities, culture and unity within XR?

One way to start is through exchanging video messages. But the next step may be to train local facilitators in participatory video to create a bridge between communities in the UK, to radically improve inclusivity in the movement.

A movement that seeks to address the climate emergency by dismantling the structures that caused it in the first place must make greater efforts to learn from the people who have been marginalised by those systems, and bring them to the forefront of change. Those people include Indigenous peoples, communities of the global south, and the ethnic and economic minorities within our own borders.

Indigenous knowledge

As the gathering came to a close Befetary Demisse, a Gamo Elder from southern Ethiopia issued a stark warning: “Without Indigenous peoples, the world as we know it is gone. Biodiversity and ecological ways of living continue through Indigenous peoples’ cultures.

“Nowadays everyone talks about climate change, even the politicians, the big people, they talk about the end of the world. But politics won’t solve things! The universities, the intellectuals, they must engage with Indigenous knowledge. Our videos must wake people up, knock on all doors!”

I end with words from Francis Shomet and a call to support Indigenous communities and their solutions: “I am calling the whole planet to actually try and understand Indigenous knowledge systems… and how they can inspire us to invent new knowledge, new ways, new mindsets in order to save the planet.”

Watch the videos here. 

This Author

Nick Lunch is co-founder and director of InsightShare

New statistics by climate charity Possible show that just two percent of televised leaders election debate time over the last four years was spent discussing climate change.

Out of a total of eight debates since 2015, three quarters of them didn’t have climate change discussed for more than one minute. 

These findings come as the Prime Minister refuses to take part in a leaders debate on the climate and nature crises, that all major opposition parties have agreed to. The call for the debate has come from over 75 organisations, with a total membership of over 10 million, including the Women’s Institute, National Trust and the National Education Union, and over 150,000 people have signed the petition supporting the campaign. 

‘Kick in the teeth’

Jake Woodier, campaigner at UK Student Climate Network, said: “The climate and nature emergencies were discussed for less just sixty seconds in last night’s election debate between Corbyn and Johnson, despite being the greatest challenges of our time.

“How can our leaders claim to be serious about tackling these crises if they aren’t giving them the attention that’s crucially needed? So far only Boris Johnson has refused to commit to taking part in a dedicated debate on climate and nature.

“If he truly believes in his plans to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, the Prime Minister should lay them out to the electorate, like all other party leaders have committed to doing, in dedicated televised debate.”

“These new stats are a kick in the teeth for young people. While the world was on fire, our politicians didn’t even bother talking about solutions to climate change. 

“With no guarantee that this will be corrected in the upcoming election, the case for a climate and nature debate is stronger than ever. The public wants it. Almost all party leaders have agreed. Boris Johnson has run out of excuses for why he won’t agree, and it’s looking like he doesn’t have confidence in his own plans by refusing to take part.”

Public concern

Led by climate charity Possible and the UK Student Climate Network, the call for a climate debate was launched following concern over climate change reaching its highest ever level – 85 percent of the public are concerned about climate change and over half say it will influence how they vote in the general election. 

The reason stated by Number 10 for refusing to take part in the debate was fear of ‘siloing’ the issue, despite polling by Ipsos Mori revealed that less than a quarter (23 percent) of adults have heard the Conservative party discuss climate change issues in the last twelve months.

Max Wakefield, director at Possible, said: “These numbers are shocking – and reveal a political class completely out of touch with the public’s climate concern.

“We clearly need a TV leaders climate debate – and it’s time for the Prime Minister to stop running scared of scrutiny. Climate change is the biggest threat we face and we need leaders to stand up and be counted.’

“Over the last four years, warnings from scientists on climate and nature breakdown have become increasingly urgent, yet the most high-profile election debates have hardly even paid lip service to it.  No wonder we’re now in climate emergency – you don’t fix the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced by ignoring it. Yet that’s just what the Prime Minister is currently doing by refusing to join other party leaders in a climate debate and finally give it the priority the public demands.”

This Author 

Marianne Brooker is The Ecologist’s content editor. This article is based on a press release from Possible. 

New statistics by climate charity Possible show that just two percent of televised leaders election debate time over the last four years was spent discussing climate change.

Out of a total of eight debates since 2015, three quarters of them didn’t have climate change discussed for more than one minute. 

These findings come as the Prime Minister refuses to take part in a leaders debate on the climate and nature crises, that all major opposition parties have agreed to. The call for the debate has come from over 75 organisations, with a total membership of over 10 million, including the Women’s Institute, National Trust and the National Education Union, and over 150,000 people have signed the petition supporting the campaign. 

‘Kick in the teeth’

Jake Woodier, campaigner at UK Student Climate Network, said: “The climate and nature emergencies were discussed for less just sixty seconds in last night’s election debate between Corbyn and Johnson, despite being the greatest challenges of our time.

“How can our leaders claim to be serious about tackling these crises if they aren’t giving them the attention that’s crucially needed? So far only Boris Johnson has refused to commit to taking part in a dedicated debate on climate and nature.

“If he truly believes in his plans to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, the Prime Minister should lay them out to the electorate, like all other party leaders have committed to doing, in dedicated televised debate.”

“These new stats are a kick in the teeth for young people. While the world was on fire, our politicians didn’t even bother talking about solutions to climate change. 

“With no guarantee that this will be corrected in the upcoming election, the case for a climate and nature debate is stronger than ever. The public wants it. Almost all party leaders have agreed. Boris Johnson has run out of excuses for why he won’t agree, and it’s looking like he doesn’t have confidence in his own plans by refusing to take part.”

Public concern

Led by climate charity Possible and the UK Student Climate Network, the call for a climate debate was launched following concern over climate change reaching its highest ever level – 85 percent of the public are concerned about climate change and over half say it will influence how they vote in the general election. 

The reason stated by Number 10 for refusing to take part in the debate was fear of ‘siloing’ the issue, despite polling by Ipsos Mori revealed that less than a quarter (23 percent) of adults have heard the Conservative party discuss climate change issues in the last twelve months.

Max Wakefield, director at Possible, said: “These numbers are shocking – and reveal a political class completely out of touch with the public’s climate concern.

“We clearly need a TV leaders climate debate – and it’s time for the Prime Minister to stop running scared of scrutiny. Climate change is the biggest threat we face and we need leaders to stand up and be counted.’

“Over the last four years, warnings from scientists on climate and nature breakdown have become increasingly urgent, yet the most high-profile election debates have hardly even paid lip service to it.  No wonder we’re now in climate emergency – you don’t fix the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced by ignoring it. Yet that’s just what the Prime Minister is currently doing by refusing to join other party leaders in a climate debate and finally give it the priority the public demands.”

This Author 

Marianne Brooker is The Ecologist’s content editor. This article is based on a press release from Possible. 

New statistics by climate charity Possible show that just two percent of televised leaders election debate time over the last four years was spent discussing climate change.

Out of a total of eight debates since 2015, three quarters of them didn’t have climate change discussed for more than one minute. 

These findings come as the Prime Minister refuses to take part in a leaders debate on the climate and nature crises, that all major opposition parties have agreed to. The call for the debate has come from over 75 organisations, with a total membership of over 10 million, including the Women’s Institute, National Trust and the National Education Union, and over 150,000 people have signed the petition supporting the campaign. 

‘Kick in the teeth’

Jake Woodier, campaigner at UK Student Climate Network, said: “The climate and nature emergencies were discussed for less just sixty seconds in last night’s election debate between Corbyn and Johnson, despite being the greatest challenges of our time.

“How can our leaders claim to be serious about tackling these crises if they aren’t giving them the attention that’s crucially needed? So far only Boris Johnson has refused to commit to taking part in a dedicated debate on climate and nature.

“If he truly believes in his plans to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, the Prime Minister should lay them out to the electorate, like all other party leaders have committed to doing, in dedicated televised debate.”

“These new stats are a kick in the teeth for young people. While the world was on fire, our politicians didn’t even bother talking about solutions to climate change. 

“With no guarantee that this will be corrected in the upcoming election, the case for a climate and nature debate is stronger than ever. The public wants it. Almost all party leaders have agreed. Boris Johnson has run out of excuses for why he won’t agree, and it’s looking like he doesn’t have confidence in his own plans by refusing to take part.”

Public concern

Led by climate charity Possible and the UK Student Climate Network, the call for a climate debate was launched following concern over climate change reaching its highest ever level – 85 percent of the public are concerned about climate change and over half say it will influence how they vote in the general election. 

The reason stated by Number 10 for refusing to take part in the debate was fear of ‘siloing’ the issue, despite polling by Ipsos Mori revealed that less than a quarter (23 percent) of adults have heard the Conservative party discuss climate change issues in the last twelve months.

Max Wakefield, director at Possible, said: “These numbers are shocking – and reveal a political class completely out of touch with the public’s climate concern.

“We clearly need a TV leaders climate debate – and it’s time for the Prime Minister to stop running scared of scrutiny. Climate change is the biggest threat we face and we need leaders to stand up and be counted.’

“Over the last four years, warnings from scientists on climate and nature breakdown have become increasingly urgent, yet the most high-profile election debates have hardly even paid lip service to it.  No wonder we’re now in climate emergency – you don’t fix the biggest challenge humanity has ever faced by ignoring it. Yet that’s just what the Prime Minister is currently doing by refusing to join other party leaders in a climate debate and finally give it the priority the public demands.”

This Author 

Marianne Brooker is The Ecologist’s content editor. This article is based on a press release from Possible.