Abstract
Ecocide, the severe and systematic destruction of ecosystems, profoundly impacts nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a victim-state enduring deforestation, mining pollution, and biodiversity loss in the Congo Basin, positioning it as a leading voice for Africa and the Global South in advocating for environmental justice. Led by President Felix Tshisekedi, the DRC’s endorsement of ecocide to be considered the fifth crime under the International Criminal Court (ICC) at this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). Ghana-specific; STOP ECOCIDE International, led by Co-Founder Jojo Mehta, has held a collaborative meeting with, The MILLS Institute (TMI) and Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) to combat ecological destruction, such as galamsey, which devastates water, agriculture, and power generation infrastructure like electricity pylons, as reported by the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), impacting SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger) and 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). This paper integrates SDG analysis, critiques climate change denialist narratives—refuted by 97% scientific consensus on anthropogenic warming—and employs Christian environmental theology to frame ecocide as a sin against God’s creation. The DRC’s deep experiences with ecocide underscore its role in amplifying Global South perspectives, emphasizing that delay in criminalizing ecocide betrays humanity, faith, and sustainable futures.
Introduction
Legal Definition: “Unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts.”
The DRC, profoundly affected by ecocide through rampant deforestation, heavy metal pollution from mining, species depletion, and conflict-fueled environmental exploitation in its vast Congo Basin rainforests, stands as a poignant victim-state and the voice of Africa in the Global South’s fight against ecological devastation.
This aligns with SDGs such as SDG 13 and SDG 15, which address climate action and ecosystem protection amid these threats.
In Ghana, galamsey’s pollution of water bodies and farmland, alongside threats to GRIDCo’s electricity infrastructure, undermines SDGs 6, 2, and 7 – mirroring DRC’s challenges.
STOP ECOCIDE International’s advocacy, including, Co-Founder, Jojo Mehta’s collaborative engagements with TMI and CCG, in Accra on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 and Thursday, September 25, 2025, amplifies these concerns.
This paper critiques denialist claims that climate change and ecological destruction are hoaxes—contradicted by the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data on human-induced warming, and integrates Christian environmental theology, which views ecocide as a violation of divine stewardship.
Delay in addressing ecocide betrays both sustainable development and theological mandates, with the DRC’s leadership highlighting the urgency for the Global South.
The DRC as a Victim-State and African Global South Advocate
As the first African nation to endorse ecocide as an international crime, the DRC emerges as a powerful voice for Africa and the Global South, driven by its acute suffering from ecocide’s impacts, including accelerated deforestation in the Congo Basin—a vital global carbon sink—heavy metal pollution and land degradation from mining, species depletion, and the exacerbation of these issues by ongoing conflict and illicit resource exploitation.
These threats imperil SDG 13’s climate goals and SDG 15’s biodiversity targets, while climate change compounds the DRC’s civil strife, weak governance, and poverty.
President Félix Tshisekedi’s reaffirmation at the 2025 UNGA of support for ecocide as an ICC crime, builds on pan-African momentum, including ecocide’s prioritisation at the UN Africa Summit, amplifying shared vulnerabilities in the Global South.
Denialist narratives (including the position taken by President Donald Trump at the same UNGA), claiming climate change is a hoax driven by natural cycles, are refuted by evidence like rising CO2 levels and temperature anomalies, which disproportionately harm nations like the DRC.
The call for the recognition of ecocide as a criminal act by the ICC, holds its own theoretical precepts; it would be the first crime to look in the direction of the Global North as perpetrators – not the manner in which the existing four crimes (genocide, war crimes, crime against humanity, war of aggression) look pointedly in the eyes of the Global South.
Christian eco-theology, rooted in Genesis 2:15 “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work and take care of it”, frames the DRC’s advocacy as a theological imperative to protect God’s creation, countering exploitation leading to destruction, as a sin against divine order.
Ecocide in Ghana: Galamsey and SDG Impacts
In Ghana, galamsey exemplifies ecocide by polluting water sources (SDG 6), destroying farmland (SDG 2), and damaging electricity infrastructure (SDG 7 and 9), as reported by GRIDCo, paralleling the DRC’s mining-driven pollution and deforestation.
These align with the DRC’s experiences, reinforcing the Global South’s shared struggle against ecological devastation and positioning the DRC as a lead voice in Africa’s advocate for accountability.
Of course, within the Ghanaian voice-led ecosystem, TMI and CCG also lend strong leading support to the advocacy drive to STOP GALAMSEY NOW!!!
Denialist arguments (those saying there is no need for a state of emergency because there is no need to be alarmed), dismissing ecological harm as exaggerated or fabricated (purely for political expediency and nothing to do with the supreme national interest), are debunked by satellite imagery and water quality data showing galamsey’s impacts.
Recent deluge of media reports based on empirical data and evidence state inter alia: “Lead, Cadmium, and Mercury found in, turmeric, tom brown, Ayilor, Kaji Kaji, and some skin-lightening creams and lotions _FDA Report”; “10 Districts in Central Region affected by water shortage due to galamsey”; Arsenic levels in Konongo Zongo soils found to be over 40,000% higher than the safe limit”; “Kontomire and other foodstuff in mining regions now contain toxic mercury, risking cancer in adults and brain damage in children”; High levels of mercury, beyond acceptable limits, found in cassava in galamasey prone areas at Atiwa East, Eastern Region”; “Illegal miners taking over our transmission towers – GRIDCo”.
Unable to hide any iota of the scary proportions to which Ghana is sinking into the abyss of galamsey, the media as well as, collective and individual voices, are speaking out loudly to the urgent need for the Government to take very decisive action NOW!!!!
Mother Ghana cannot forget the recent “Delay is Betrayal” divinely inspired edict from the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference.
Theologically, galamsey violates the biblical mandate of Genesis 2:15; “tend and keep” the earth, with Christian eco-theology equating such destruction to idolatry of profit over creation.
The DRC’s international advocacy provides a model for Ghana to internally address these interconnected SDG and theological crises.
Collaborative Advocacy in Ghana and Global South Solidarity
Jojo Mehta’s engagements with The MILLS Institute and Christian Council of Ghana foster “Partnerships For The Goals” (SDG 17), to combat ecocide, mirroring the DRC’s leadership in the Global South as the first African endorser and a champion amid its own ecological crises – accepting that it is a nation in crisis and needing urgent international help.
TMI’s support for ecocide criminalisation aligns with SDG 16’s focus on “Peace Justice and Strong Institutions”, while CCG invokes eco-theology to frame environmental care as a divine mandate, countering historical misinterpretations of dominion as exploitation.
These efforts challenge denialist narratives by integrating scientific evidence with theological ethics, emphasizing creation care as a response to God’s covenant in Genesis 9:15 “I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”
The DRC’s victim-state perspective strengthens this solidarity, amplifying African voices in global environmental governance.
In many ways than one; Ghana is orbiting in the realms of, self-inflicted victim-state.
The Urgency of Action: Delay as Betrayal
Delay in criminalizing ecocide undermines SDG progress, particularly in victim-states like the DRC, where ecological harm—such as pollution and deforestation—exacerbates poverty, conflict, and instability, underscoring its role as Africa’s voice in the Global South.
Denialist claims, often funded by fossil fuel interests, misrepresent data like global temperature records, which confirm anthropogenic impacts.
Theologically, Christian eco-theology views such denial as rejecting God’s sovereignty, with inaction constituting a betrayal of the prophetic call to justice as captured in Micah 6:8; “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good …”.
The DRC’s advocacy underscores the Global South’s urgent demand for accountability to prevent further harm.
Ghana’s own unable-to-hide morbid picture, sits menacingly in the face of the nation and the more we play the ostrich, the more we increase the devouring temperature of the hell-fire.
Conclusion
The DRC’s leadership as a victim-state deeply scarred by ecocide—through deforestation, pollution, and resource exploitation—positions it as the voice of Africa and the Global South in pushing for ecocide’s criminalisation, aligning with SDGs and refuting climate denial through scientific and theological lenses.
STOP ECOCIDE International’s collaborations worldwide in general and Ghana in particular, amplify these voices, integrating SDG 17’s partnership goals with Christian eco-theology’s call for stewardship.
Delay betrays humanity, the planet, and divine mandates, necessitating immediate action to uphold justice and sustainability.
AMEN!!!
Samuel Koku Anyidoho
(Founder and CEO, MILLS Institute for Transformational Leadership Development)
Email:Sitsoanyidoho1@yahoo.com
Saturday, September 27, 2025.
