Eco-pioneer Polly Higgins’ Ecocide legacy will live on

The award-winning author, barrister and international ecocide law advocate Polly Higgins passed away on Sunday 21st April 2019. She was diagnosed last month, at the age of 50, with an aggressive cancer and given six weeks to live.

Polly had been campaigning to make ecocide an international crime and had launched a push for businesses to be made liable for any harm they do to the environment. She gave up her job and sold her house to finance the campaign.

Polly Higgins presented her proposal for ecocide to be recognised as an international crime to the United Nations Law Commission, describing it as ‘one simple law to protect the Earth’.  Polly was also author of Eradicating Ecocide and created the first non-commercial trust fund for the world’s Earth Protectors.

The Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI) announced the news of Polly’s death on Twitter, posting: “A sad day and big loss to our community.  Polly will be sorely missed but always remembered for her incredible work.”

“Polly Higgins was an inspirational pioneer, campaigner, and lawyer.  She dedicated her life to hold those committing ecocide to account.  We must help finish what she started and hold individuals, companies and governments to account, for crimes against nature and the environment.  It is not until people feel individually and corporately responsible for the damage that is being caused that they will behave with integrity and try to protect the earth’s resources. 

“It is reported that her dying wish was that we all sign up to Stop Ecocide: Change the Law, so please sign up today”, says Anna Guyer, Founder of Greenhouse PR.

Everyone can sign up as an Earth Protector via https://www.stopecocide.earth/