CICC—Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes

Court for Intergenerational Climate Crimes (CICC) is a collaboration between Framer Framed, Indian academic, writer, lawyer and activist Radha D’Souza and Prix de Rome winning artist, Jonas Staal. The aim of the CICC is to prosecute climate crimes committed by states and corporations, not only in the past and present, but also in the future. Central to this book is the first iteration of the project, commissioned and staged by Framer Framed in 2021, during which public hearings were held against the Dutch State and transnational corporations registered in the Netherlands: Unilever, ING and Airbus.

The book is divided into three main parts. The Cases section focuses on four significant cases brought against the State of the Netherlands, Unilever, ING Group, and Airbus Industries for intergenerational climate crimes. These cases present the charges and evidence against each defendant, with prosecutors from alternative research and journalism networks laying out the arguments that challenge mainstream subservience to racial-ecocidal-neocolonial capitalism. Testimonies from witnesses shed light on the fact that climate crimes are predominantly confined to a dislocated “somewhere else” due to neocolonialism’s division of extraction sites from planning locations.

The Judges section introduces the CICC’s panel of judges who oversee the public hearings, similar to traditional courts. What distinguishes these judges is the legitimacy they derive from their lifelong dedication to seeking justice for real people and nature across different continents. The CICC also establishes a public jury comprising individuals who willingly attend the public hearings. These individuals evaluate witness statements based on the Intergenerational Climate Crimes Act of 2021. The verdicts in this section provide concise summaries of the judges’ decisions and outline the consequences based on the evidence presented during the cases.

Lastly, the Reflections section offers critical essays by theorists Tobias Dias, Ashley Maum, and Joram Kraaijeveld. These essays provide an in-depth analysis of the public hearings at the CICC. The essays explore the impacts and contradictions observed during the court proceedings. Furthermore, Stephanie Bailey conducts interviews with D’Souza and Staal, where they discuss the accomplishments of the CICC thus far and outline their aims for the future.