Vanuatu, Dec. 4 -- The Pacific island state of Vanuatu made a bold statement Wednesday at the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s annual Assembly of States Parties in The Hague. It argued that the Assembly should consider seriously expanding the court's remit to include a crime of ecocide.

Ambassador John Licht of Vanuatu, speaking on behalf of his government to the full plenary session of the Assembly, declared: "An amendment of the Rome Statute could criminalise acts that amount to ecocide. We believe this radical idea merits serious discussion."

This came in the context of Vanuatu's declared commitment to universal justice for the most serious crimes, and also the observation that sea level rise and other impacts of climate change c...