Extraterritorial ecocide as epistemic injustice: Toward a right to environmental sovereignty in climate-vulnerable knowledge systems

This article interrogates the concept of extraterritorial ecocide as a form of epistemic injustice, arguing that transboundary environmental harm not only devastates ecosystems but also annihilates the knowledge systems of the communities that depend on them. It introduces the notion of environmental sovereignty, the collective right of communities to sustain the ecological and epistemic conditions necessary for self-determination, and defines epistemicide as the systematic destruction of community-based knowledge systems through ecological disruption. By bridging doctrines of international environmental law, human rights, and decolonial epistemology, the article advances a framework for recognizing epistemic harm as a distinct category of injury under international law. Drawing on jurisprudence from Teitiota v. New Zealand, Saramaka, Endorois, and Sarayaku, it demonstrates that violations of free, prior, and informed consent often entail epistemic destruction, including the loss of ecological indicators, rituals, and linguistic taxonomies. The article proposes two complementary mechanisms to address these harms: a global tribunal for environmental sovereignty and epistemic justice and the integration of epistemic impact assessments (EIA[E]) into existing loss and damage frameworks. These mechanisms extend accountability beyond state-centric liability toward a pluralistic model that values both ecological and epistemic restoration. By foregrounding the right to environmental sovereignty, the study offers an actionable path to operationalize epistemic justice within international law and to restore the cognitive foundations that enable communities to live with dignity amid environmental collapse.