The Significance of the International Monsanto Tribunal's Findings with Respect to the Nascent Crime of Ecocide

Monsanto is, in many respects, an exemplar of the wanton environmental destruction that form the substance and basis of human rights abuses, war crimes, and the hypothetical crime of Ecocide. The legal proceedings that underpinned the establishment of the IMT offer a platform to address large-scale environmental damage. By bringing Monsanto to account for its culpable activities, the IMT, through its authoritative opinion, made definitive pronouncements upon the positive international law obligations of multinational corporations. While a people's court cannot make binding decisions, its findings nevertheless support the efforts of communities across the world to seek justice by referencing the opinion and guidance of eminent jurists, and their prediction about the future direction of international law. The work of this Tribunal will contribute to the progressive development of international law by clarifying the content of the human rights responsibilities of companies and informing the debate on whether the international community should introduce an amendment to the Rome Statute to include the international crime of Ecocide