“First do no harm…” - What if all our professional Codes of Ethics required us to report Ecocide?
Moving on from this destructive system that is driving us to the living hell of climate and ecological breakdown will involve a complex web of many shifts and changes.
It is quite possible that there may be a number of key shifts that first take us to the positive social tipping points (to remove the social license to destroy nature) and then in turn change behaviours and lower the trajectory of emissions, ecological annihilation, and associated social injustices. We may even reach truly regenerative ways of living and working…
These key shifts have already included global activism in the form of Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and a host of Indigenous and other activism. These movements must increase further to cement their effects. And if it occurs, systemic shifts may also potentially include things like effective carbon pricing, mandatory reporting and auditing, inclusion of ‘externalities’ in company accounting and definition of what is a ‘going concern’… and other moves like making ‘Ecocide’ an international crime.
As the Stop Ecocide campaign state: “Right now, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) lists four crimes:
- Genocide
- Crimes Against Humanity
- War Crimes
- Crimes of Aggression (recently added)
The Statute can be amended to add a fifth crime: ECOCIDE.
Unlike suing and fining corporations (who simply budget for this possibility), making ecocide a crime creates an arrestable offence. It makes those individuals who are responsible for funding, permitting or causing severe environmental harm liable to criminal prosecution.”
(https://www.stopecocide.earth/making-ecocide-a-crime)
So imagine if the Code of Practice of every Profession required individual professionals to report Ecocide... imagine how that could accelerate the exposure of business and organisational activities that are hurtling us and our kids to an unlivable future.
The fight to make Ecocide Law was started by the incredible Polly Higgins, and since her tragic death in 2019 the work has been continued by the Stop Ecocide team.
So whilst this battle continues we really can't wait and stand by whilst more and more harm is done to the earth.
This is why I'm dreaming of a situation in which Professional Bodies across every sector start to lead the way by revising their Ethical practice expectations of their members, possibly as a result of their grassroots members demanding change.
So here I'm calling out to all the…
Accountants
Lawyers
Nurses
Surveyors
Architects
Coaches
Doctors
Psychologists
Investment Managers
Engineers
Bankers
Environmental Managers
Health and safety professionals
Scientists
Actuaries
Procurement Professionals
Designers
Marketeers
Chartered Directors
Vets
And more besides...
Will you step up as a Professional and demand your Professional Body amends its Code of Ethics accordingly? Will you if you’re a member of a Professional Body Committee or Board, stick your neck out amongst your colleagues and choose to be on the right side of history?
The choice is ours… our future story on this earth hasn’t been written yet, and each and every one of us helps to hold the pen…
I’ll leave the last word to the incredible Polly Higgins, may she rest in peace:
“The rules of our world are laws, and they can be changed. Laws can restrict or they can enable. What matters is what they serve. Many of the laws in our world serve property - they are based on ownership. But imagine a law that has a higher moral authority… a law that puts people and planet first. Imagine a law that starts from first do no harm, that stops this dangerous game and takes us to a place of safety….” Polly Higgins, 2015
Renewable heating supplier ~ Local environmental action
4 年Makes sense to me. I'm increasingly feeling that we need to go back to the basics of philosophy/ethics, and that at the moment these are largely missing leaving us hollow at the core. This would be a law based off of the ethical statement that "Life has Value" i think, which it does! And following on "The Bill of Earth Rights" Zoe?
Writing on important issues.
4 年I wish it could happen.
Zoe Cohen as ever Zoe, you invite us to push the boundaries. Thank you for this provocation
Chemical process development expert. Antidote to marketing #hopium . Tireless advocate for a fossil fuel-free future.
4 年We professional engineers are already duty-bound to "hold the public safety as paramount". It can be argued, without stretching credulity at all, that we CANNOT hold the public safety as paramount while ignoring major issues like climate change, species extinction, surface ocean acidification etc. The problem here is that these issues aren't happening solely because engineers and other professionals are behaving unethically- although some no doubt are- I see what I consider unethical commentary here on LI on a daily basis from professionals who should know better. The problem is that we, the public- consumers- taxpayers- are the root of the problem. Just as you cannot solve the use of illegal drugs by going after drug dealers alone, you cannot solve the problem by trying to make professionals feel guilty about earning a living in the economic system we have created. Some eco-warriors want to define "participation in capitalism" as ecocide. And by calling for the elimination of capitalism, they lose the saner members of the audience who might actually otherwise be listening to suggestions of how we could make things better- by fixing the negative externalities that pit new environmental technologies in a futile battle against a status quo subsidized by use of our atmosphere, oceans etc. as if they were free, limitless public sewers.
Financial controller
4 年Very interesting idea. I support the idea100%, all professions should include report on Ecocide in their Code of Ethics.