Can we prosecute the destruction of our planet? As the triple planetary crisis accelerates, a global movement to secure ecocide as a serious crime at national, regional and international levels is emerging.
Defending Tomorrow is a deep-dive podcast for those who believe in the power of legal accountability. Through exclusive conversations with world-class legal experts, we examine the present and future of environmental law, and specifically the growing global movement for ecocide law.
Each month, we go beyond the headlines to explore:
Global progress in recognizing ecocide as a crime.
The bridge between corporate responsibility and individual criminal liability.
Direct insights from the lawyers and advocates rewriting the rules of global justice.
The law is our last line of defense. Subscribe to Defending Tomorrow and join us in exploring the legal tools needed to secure our shared future.
For more information about us, visit: https://www.stopecocide.earth/lawyers-against-ecocide (https://www.stopecocide.earth/lawyers-against-ecocide) or email us at: info@stopecocidio.org (mailto:info@stopecocidio.org)
En nuestro quinto episodio, Rodrigo Lledó y Víctor Rujano Bautista conversan con la Dra. Lina Muñoz Ávila, Directora de la Especialización y Maestría en Derecho y Gestión Ambiental de la Universidad del Rosario en Bogotá. Como exasesora jurídica del Ministerio de Ambiente de Colombia, consultora para la ONU, la CEPAL y el Banco Mundial, y participante activa en la negociación del histórico Acuerdo de Escazú, la Dra. Muñoz Ávila aporta una visión profunda sobre la justicia ambiental en América Latina.
En este episodio, hablamos de:
El contexto latinoamericano: Los retos legislativos más urgentes para proteger una de las regiones más biodiversas —y a la vez más peligrosas— para la defensa de la tierra.
El Acuerdo de Escazú: Cómo el acceso a la información, la participación pública y la justicia fortalecen a la sociedad civil y transforman las reglas de juego para los defensores ambientales.
El rol de la academia y las clínicas jurídicas: De qué manera iniciativas universitarias conectan las luchas territoriales locales con la gobernanza climática global.
Más allá de las sanciones administrativas: La necesidad conceptual de dejar de tratar la destrucción masiva de la naturaleza como un costo operativo más y avanzar hacia su tipificación como delito penal.
Invitada: Lina Muñoz Ávila: Doctora en Derecho, investigadora posdoctoral del Instituto Max Planck y profesora de tiempo completo en la Universidad del Rosario.
(https://alianzadeclinicasambientales.com/) Instagram: @alianzaclinicasambientaleslac
Presentador: Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez
Co-Presentador: Victor Rujano Bautista
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In our fifth episode, Rodrigo Lledó and Victor Rujano Bautista chat to Lina Muñoz Ávila, Director of the Postgraduate Programs in Environmental Law and Management at Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá. As a former legal advisor to the Colombian Ministry of Environment, consultant for the UN, CEPAL, and the World Bank, and an active participant in the negotiation of the historic Escazú Agreement, Dr. Muñoz Ávila brings deep expertise on environmental justice in Latin America.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Latin American Context: The urgent legal challenges in protecting one of the world's most biodiverse—and dangerous—regions for land defense.
The Escazú Agreement: How access to information, public participation, and justice empower civil society and transform safety for environmental defenders.
The Role of Legal Clinics: How academic institutions like the Grupo de Acciones Públicas (GAP) bridge local community struggles with global climate governance.
Beyond Administrative Fines: The legal shift from viewing ecological damage as a business expense to recognizing large-scale environmental destruction as a criminal offense.
Featured Guest: Lina Muñoz Ávila, Doctor of Law, environmental law expert, and Professor at Universidad del Rosario. (https://alianzadeclinicasambientales.com/) Instagram: @alianzaclinicasambientaleslac
Host: Rodrigo Lledó Vasquez
Co-host: Victor Rujano Bautista
20 May 2026
Kate Mackintosh [EN]
The Legal Architecture of Ecocide Law: International Perspectives with Kate Mackintosh
In our fourth episode, Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez and Victor Rujano Bautista welcome Kate Mackintosh, Executive Director of the UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe. With three decades of experience in international criminal justice and Human Rights protection, Kate has held pivotal roles at international criminal tribunals and with Doctors Without Borders. As the deputy chair of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide, she offers a profound look into the global effort to establish environmental protection as a fundamental legal pillar.
In this episode, we discuss:
A Career Dedicated to Justice: How thirty years of experience in international tribunals and humanitarian aid informed Kate’s transition into environmental law.
The Independent Expert Panel: Insights into the key elements and the rationale behind the 2021 proposed legal definition of ecocide.
Global Momentum: The current status of the Rome Statute amendment following the proposal by Fiji, Vanuatu, and Samoa.
Implementing Change: The mission of the Ecocide Law Advisory (ELA) project in providing expert legal training and guidance for national legislations. (https://www.promiseeurope.law.ucla.edu/ecocide-law-advisory)
Featured Guest: Kate Mackintosh: Executive Director of the UCLA Law Promise Institute Europe and international criminal law specialist.
Host: Rodrigo Lledó Vasquez
Co-host: Victor Rujano Bautista
14 Apr 2026
Ruth Luque Ibarra [ES]
¿Puede un Código Penal nacional ser la defensa más sólida para la Amazonía?
En nuestro tercer episodio, Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez y Víctor Rujano Bautista conversan con Ruth Luque Ibarra, abogada especializada en derechos humanos y actual Diputada del Congreso de Perú (2021-2026). Con más de una década de experiencia defendiendo los derechos humanos de las poblaciones vulnerables de las provincias altas del Cusco, la Congresista Luque lidera ahora la iniciativa para tipificar el ecocidio en Perú.
Desde la primera línea de la defensa ambiental hasta los pasillos del Congreso, exploramos qué se necesita para convertir la protección ecológica en una ley aplicable.
En este episodio, hablamos de:
El estado actual de la propuesta para incorporar el ecocidio en el Código Penal peruano y los retos que plantea la oposición política.
Un análisis en profundidad del vertido de petróleo de diciembre de 2024 que afectó las costas del Perú y por qué estos desastres encajan en la definición legal de ecocidio.
El papel vital de la Comisión de Pueblos Andinos, Amazónicos y Afroperuanos en la protección tanto de la biodiversidad como del patrimonio cultural.
Si Perú se unirá al creciente movimiento de naciones que apoyan la inclusión del ecocidio en el Estatuto de Roma de la Corte Penal Internacional.
Invitada: Ruth Luque Ibarra
Especialista en derechos humanos y derecho ambiental, y Congresista de la República del Perú.
Presentador: Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez
Co-presentador: Víctor Rujano Bautista
2 Mar 2026
Paulo Busse [EN]
Can ecocide law stop the destruction of the Amazon?
In the second episode of Defending Tomorrow, host Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez is joined by Paulo Busse, a titan of environmental and criminal law with over two decades of experience on the front lines of Brazilian and international justice.
As a Senior Counsel at Climate Counsel and a key member of the Ecocide Advice Centre, Paulo has spent his career navigating the intersection of criminal defense and environmental protection. We explore the legal scaffolding required to protect the Amazon and why traditional domestic laws are often not enough.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Blueprint for Ecocide: Paulo’s role in advising on national ecocide laws and why defining this crime is crucial for the future of the planet.
Insights from Paulo’s latest work on taking Amazonian environmental crimes to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Perspectives on International conferences and their importance in fostering solutions to global environmental issues.
Featured Guest: Paulo Busse, Criminal Defense, Environmental and Human Rights Lawyer.
Host: Rodrigo Lledó Vasquez
26 Jan 2026
Pablo Fajardo [ES]
What does it take to sue one of the world’s most powerful oil corporations—and win?
In our inaugural episode of Defending Tomorrow, host Rodrigo Lledó Vásquez and Victor Rujano Bautista sit down with the legendary Pablo Fajardo. As the lead lawyer in the historic Lago Agrio case against Texaco (now Chevron), Fajardo secured a multi-billion dollar judgment for the victims of Amazonian pollution, a feat that earned him the Goldman Environmental Prize and the title of CNN Hero.
We dive deep into:
The reality of litigating against environmental destruction.
How the lessons from the Amazon informed the Independent Expert Panel's definition of Ecocide.
Why the Rome Statute is the next necessary frontier for global justice.
Featured Guest: Pablo Fajardo, Lead Prosecutor and Environmental Advocate.
Host: Rodrigo Lledó Vasquez
Co-host: Victor Rujano Bautista
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