Polly Higgins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Polly Higgins
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Higgins in 2012
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| Born |
Pauline Hélène Higgins
4 July 1968 Glasgow, Scotland
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| Died | 21 April 2019 (aged 50) Leckhampton, England
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| Alma mater |
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| Occupation |
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| Organization | Earth Protectors |
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Notable work
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Eradicating Ecocide |
| Movement | Criminalizing ecocide in international law |
| Spouse(s) |
Ian Lawrie
(m. 2002) |
Pauline Hélène "Polly" Higgins FRSGS (4 July 1968 – 21 April 2019) was a Scottish lawyer, writer, and environmental activist. Many people called her "one of the most inspiring figures in the green movement." She decided to stop working as a regular lawyer to focus on protecting the environment.
Polly Higgins worked hard to make "ecocide" an international crime. Ecocide means causing serious harm or destruction to the environment. She believed that those who cause such harm should be held responsible. She wrote books about her ideas and started a group called Earth Protectors to help her cause.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Polly Higgins was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1968. She grew up in a place called Blanefield, which is near the Campsie Hills. Her father was a meteorologist, who studies weather, and her mother was an artist. Her family cared a lot about the environment. This helped shape Polly's interest in protecting the planet from a young age.
She went to St Aloysius' College in Glasgow. Later, she studied at several universities, including the University of Aberdeen and the University of Glasgow. She also studied in the Netherlands at Utrecht University. During her university years, she worked with an artist and environmental activist named Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He was from Austria and also cared deeply about nature.
Polly later trained to become a lawyer in London. In 1998, she officially became a barrister, which is a type of lawyer who argues cases in court. She worked as a lawyer in London, focusing on business and employment law.
Advocating for the Earth
One day, after finishing a court case, Polly Higgins looked out the window. She realized that the Earth was also being harmed, just like the person she had represented in court. She thought, "The Earth needs a good lawyer too!" This moment changed her life.
She decided to stop her work as a regular lawyer. Instead, she focused on creating a new international law. This law would make businesses and governments responsible for the environmental damage they cause. She wanted to make sure they could be punished for harming the planet.
What is Ecocide?
Polly Higgins wanted to make "ecocide" a crime. Ecocide means destroying or causing serious harm to the environment. For example, massive oil spills or widespread deforestation could be considered ecocide.
In 1996, people had suggested that ecocide should be an international crime. However, it was not included in the final list of international crimes. Around 2009, Polly Higgins started her campaign to change this. She explained that destroying the environment can lead to a lack of resources. When resources run out, it can even lead to wars. She believed that ecocide should be seen as a "crime against peace."
Polly worked hard to convince the United Nations Law Commission to recognize ecocide as an international crime. She spent many years trying to achieve this important goal.
Earth Protectors and Books
As part of her campaign, Polly Higgins wrote a book called Eradicating Ecocide. This book explained her ideas about how to stop environmental destruction through law. She also started a group called Earth Protectors. This group helped raise money and support for her mission.
Polly Higgins was recognized for her important work. In 2009, The Ecologist magazine called her "one of the world's top ten visionary thinkers." In 2016, she was listed as one of the "Top 100 Inspiring Women of the World" by Salt magazine.
Personal Life
After living in Scotland and London, Polly Higgins settled near a town called Stroud in England. In 2002, she married Ian Lawrie, who is a judge.
Polly Higgins passed away on 21 April 2019, at the age of 50. She is buried in a place called Slad, Gloucestershire.
Selected Publications
Books
- Eradicating Ecocide: Laws and Governance to Prevent the Destruction of Our Planet (2010)
- Earth Is Our Business: Changing the Rules of the Game (2012) (ISBN: 978-0856832888)
- I Dare you to be Great (2014) (ISBN: 978-1909477469)
- Dare to be Great (2020) (ISBN: 978-0750994101) (re-publication with new introduction & appendices)
Honours and Recognitions
Polly Higgins received many awards and honors for her work:
- 1998 - She was officially "Called to the Bar" as a lawyer.
- 2009 - The Ecologist magazine named her one of the world's top ten visionary thinkers.
- 2011 - Her book Eradicating Ecocide won the non-fiction prize at The People’s Book Prize.
- 2012 - She gave the Rachel Carson Memorial Lecture, speaking about "Ending the Era of Ecocide."
- 2013-2014 - She held an honorary professorship at the University of Oslo in Norway.
- 2013 - She received an honorary doctorate degree from Business School Lausanne in Switzerland.
- 2016 - Salt magazine listed her as one of the Top 100 Inspiring Women of the World.
- 2017 - She received an award from Ekotopfilm in Slovakia for her work on ecocide.
- 2018 - She was given the Shackleton Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.
- 2019 - Ekotopfilm in Slovakia gave a special award in her memory.
