The Ecocide Mock Trial at the Supreme Court
Polly Higgins is a barrister who is working to have 'Ecocide' become the 5th international crime against peace (joining genocide, crimes against humanity, crimes of agression, and war crimes).
September saw a 'mock trial' played out at the Supreme Court of the UK, with charges brought against corporate CEO's for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the oil extraction from the Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada.
Above and beyond its role as a media event (streamed live on Sky News), the mock trial served as a learning activity, an event that tested the proposed law in as real a simulated setting as possible: with real barristers and a jury.
As a designer this event caught my attention not only because of the righteous legal initiative, but because the mock trial is such a fatastic example of iterative design practice.
I was also amused to see that it raised funds via the social financing service 'Crowdfunder'. Super.