Jyväskylässä sai 15.4 maailmanensi-iltansa Choirs for Ecocide Law -konsertti, johon 12 säveltäjää eri maista ovat säveltäneet teoksensa. Projektia johtavat Merzi Rajala, Kirsi Kaunismäki-Suhonen ja Peder Karlsson ja se jatkuu 27.4 Istanbulissa World Symposium of Choral Music -tapahtumassa. Kuorot ympäri maailmaa saavat pian mahdollisuuden järjestää oman versionsa konsertista paikkakunnillaan, ja voivat lähettävät tapahtumista videomateriaalia sivulle www.stopecocide.earth/music
Jyväskylän konsertin jälkeen paneelikeskustelussa olivat mukana luonnonsuojelubiologian lehtori Panu Halme, sisäministeri Krista Mikkonen, europarlamentaarikko Mauri Pekkarinen, suurlähettiläs emeritus Mikko Pyhälä, nuorisodelegaatti Alli Pylkkö ja Sibelius-Akatemian lehtori, projektin johtaja ja muusikko Merzi Rajala. Alla Mikko Pyhälän englanniksi kääntämä puhe ulkoministeri Pekka Haaviston videotervehdyksestä tapahtumaan:
Video greeting by Mr. Pekka Haavisto, Caretaker Foreign Minister of Finland
Choirs for Ecocide Law Concert and Panel Discussion
University of Jyväskylä, Finland, on 15 April, 2023
”Dear friends of nature and music. It is a pleasure to participate in this event which has harnessed music to protect nature. Climate change and loss of nature are among the greatest challenges to humanity in our time. The catastrophic impacts of both can be seen in our world already. It is no longer a question of forecasts by scientists. Actions to stop climate change and loss of nature, and to adapt to their consequences, are now of primary interest. These actions can be emphasized by means of criminal law.
Causing long-term environmental and disproportionately wide-reaching serious damage to military advantage has long been a war crime. This prohibition has acquired more importance considering Russia’s illegal aggression war to Ukraine. The price of this has been tremendous to the Ukrainians and to the environment.
Criminalization of ecocide in international law would make it punishable to cause widespread or long-lasting damage to the environment by illegal or wanton acts. This is the definition which the independent international panel ex experts proposed for ecocide crime in 2021. Hence, ecocide would be prohibited without respect to the conditions such as an armed conflict, or consequences to human beings.
The European Union is a natural forum for Finland to operate especially in environmental matters. In the end of March, the European Parliament proposed inclusion of ecocide in the Environmental Crime Directive of the European Union. Many of the established environmental crimes have been defined in environmental agreements which require governments to make these acts punishable.
An international agreement prohibiting ecocide could strengthen the position of this crime in international criminal law. This could also promote the inclusion of ecocide in the Rome Charter of the International Criminal Court.
Dear friends, music is not only beautiful, but also an effective way to appeal for prevention of ecocide. Music arouses in us feelings which help us act as a transformative power. I wish you participants in this concert memorable moments and satisfying conversations. Thank you.”
Ecocide Law Finland 