Endangering humanity: an international crime?

Catriona McKinnon

Pages 395-415 | Received 04 Jan 2016, Accepted 06 Jan 2017, Published online: 26 Jan 2017

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• https://doi.org/10.1080/00455091.2017.1280381
 
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Abstract

In the Anthropocene, human beings are capable of bringing about globally catastrophic outcomes that could damage conditions for present and future human life on Earth in unprecedented ways. This paper argues that the scale and severity of these dangers justifies a new international criminal offence of ‘postericide’ that would protect present and future people against wrongfully created dangers of near extinction. Postericide is committed by intentional or reckless systematic conduct that is fit to bring about near human extinction. The paper argues that a proper understanding of the moral imperatives embodied in international criminal law shows that it ought to be expanded to incorporate a new law of postericide.

Keywords: Anthropocene, international criminal law, human extinction, human security, global catastrophe, intergenerational ethics

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Acknowledgements

This paper has benefitted from discussion with and comments from people at workshops at the Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (Toronto), the Future of Humanity Institute (University of Oxford), Centre for Ethics, Law and Public Affairs (Warwick University), The Arctic University of Norway (Tromso), Goethe University (Frankfurt), the School of Public Policy, University College London, and the Institute for Futures Studies (Stockholm). Comments and feedback from the following people in particular helped to improve the paper: Amanda Greene, Keith Hyams, Karim Jebari, Rob Jubb, Cecile Laborde, Nick Martin, Julia Mosquera, Tom Sorrell, Victor Tadros, Patrick Tomlin, Ed Page, Dominic Roser, and an anonymous referee for the journal.