Image: Art for Ecocide at the Festival of Nature
At the recent Festival of Nature’s Wild Weekend, held on 17th-18th June in Bristol’s Millennium Square, Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa (Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations) showcased her research to the general public, making her the first researcher within UWE Bristol’s School of Social Sciences to participate in the Festival of Nature, the UK’s largest celebration of the natural world.
Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa is an interdisciplinary International Relations/International Law scholar interested in the historical origins of international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity war crimes and aggression. Last year, her ground-breaking research article, which developed the very first analytical framework to study how and why international crimes are established in world politics, was published in the esteemed journal International Theory.
Her latest research centres on ecocide, currently the subject of a global campaign spearheaded by Stop Ecocide International. This campaign is pushing for a radical solution to the global ecological crisis and attendant demands for climate justice, by recognizing ecocide – the unlawful and deliberate destruction of the natural environment – as an international crime. This will make it possible for the International Criminal Court – the global court responsible for prosecuting and punishing individuals who commit genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and aggression – to also prosecute and punish individuals and corporations for acts of ecocide.
Ecocide: A new international crime for the 21st century
Through an interactive activity (feel free to participate!) aimed at encouraging reflection on who should be held accountable for crimes against the environment, Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa engaged with over 5,000 members of the public about the importance of recognizing ecocide as an international crime.
Her activity was supported by Stop Ecocide International, who partnered with her at the festival to raise awareness of their global campaign and its recent successes.
Art for Ecocide
In collaboration with the award-winning national artist Ashley Phillips, who currently leads Stop Ecocide International’s Art for Ecocide Law project, Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa also showcased how art can be used to inspire creative responses to global environmental challenges.
Young children were invited to participate in printmaking, which was a fantastic way to tell them more about ecocide.
They were also encouraged to engage in Ashley Phillips’ global ecocide art installation project, which aims to show how reverse graffiti is a creative way to make powerful statements and leave inspiring messages in public spaces. This has now left a permanent mark at Bristol’s Millennium Square.
Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Development Award
Recently awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Early Career Development Award, Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa will be undertaking a 1-year research project on the criminalization of ecocide – “The Criminalization of Ecocide: A Novel Response to the Climate Emergency” – from August 2023.
As part of the research project, which is strongly aligned to UWE’s research beacon on Sustainability and Climate Change Resilience, further public engagement and research activities will be organized – and if you are a researcher with an interest in ecocide and would like to collaborate in these future events, please feel free to get in touch with Dr Suwita Hani Randhawa (suwita.hanirandhawa@uwe.ac.uk).