Expert's research plays key role in landmark court policy

The University of Essex’s Dr Matthew Gillett has played a crucial role in an international court’s new policy aimed at protecting the environment from major harm.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has this month published its policy which outlines how it aims to hold those who cause serious damage to the environment, such as deforestation, to account.

It gives prosecutors clear guidance on what constitutes environmental damage, and cites the work of Dr Gillett when providing its definition of environmental harm.

The authors of the policy conveyed that they relied extensively on Dr Gillett’s research, and in particular his book, Prosecuting Environmental Harm Before the International Criminal Court, published in 2022, calling it “an excellent book, by far the best of its kind”.

Essex Law School’s Dr Gillett welcomed the release of the new policy and hopes it will start to provide better protection to the natural world.

He said: “The release of the ICC policy on environmental harm is a watershed moment for the protection of nature.

“Providing a means to hold those who seriously damage the environment accountable is critical, as otherwise that harm will simply be factored in as a cost of business.

“The fact the new policy relies on my book on prosecuting environmental harm before the ICC is a boost.

“Next, I look out for the court's implementation of this policy over the coming years in cases of severe harm to nature.”

The new policy calls for strong partnerships between national authorities, international agencies and independent experts to support future investigations into environmental harm, and ensure the policy can be successfully implemented.

The ICC’s new policy now places environmental harm in the same category as other serious crimes covered by the Rome Statue; a treaty granting the court potential global jurisdiction over specific illegal acts.