Definition of "ecocide" [ecocide]

• Heedless or deliberate destruction of the natural environment, as by pollutants or an act of war. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Recognizing the long-term and wide-spread impacts caused by such degradation, experts have coined the term ecocide, literally meaning the killing of the environment."
• "The word ecocide comes from Greek as well, 'oikos', meaning 'house', and 'cidium', meaning to 'slay' or 'destroy'."
• "Polly Higgins, the lawyer behind the idea of ecocide, is on the board of DESERTEC"