Rights of Nature (continued)

“We must see the connection between Earth and ourselves, and that we must fall back in love with Earth in order to heal the planet…We need a real awakening, enlightenment, to change our way of thinking and seeing things. ”  Tich Nhat Hanh, Buddhist monk, peace activist and scholar (link to interview on Common Dreams coming soon)

To guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth—that all its ecosystems are a living being with inalienable rights: to exist, to maintain vital processes necessary for the harmonious balance that supports all life, and to live free of cruel treatment. Adapted from The Panchamama Alliance.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Riverside Church, April 4, 1967

In 1967, a year before he died, Martin Luther King, Jr. in his most revolutionary speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” set forth a critique of capitalism, calling for a “revolution of values” and envisioning a “worldwide fellowship that lifts neighborly concern beyond one’ tribe, race, class and nation.” Now, animated by the ancient wisdom of indigenous peoples and the new spirit of environmental justice, the Rights of Nature movement is beginning to realize King’s vision.  

Information:

Co-chairs, contact information, conference call times
Hw to subscribe to the Earth Democracy list serve and other list serves when created.

Take Action:

Pass Rights of Nature ordinance or incorporate statement on the Rights of Nature into community rights ordinances to prohibit a specific corporate harm such as fracking, mining water for bottling, big-box stores, etc. For examples, see www.celdf.org.  

Pass a Precautionary Principle Ordinance to protect people and nature from pollution and helping to implement Rights of Nature

Materials:

Brief history of the Rights of Nature Movement. (see below)
The Cochabama Declaration
The United Nations Declaration (need link)

Flyers

“When Does a Tree Have Rights?”

Video
Why Nature Needs Rights: Vandana Shiva, Maude Barlow, Cormac Cullinan, and Pablo Solon archived web broadcast of April 22 UN General Assembly Interactive Dialogue on Harmony with Nature that has grown out of an initiative by Bolivia to incorporate recognition of the rights of the Earth and of the Earth community at the June 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development / Rio+20 to be held in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012—20 years after the historic 1992 Earth Summit/UN Conference on Environment and Development also held in Rio.

The Rights of Mother Earth—Cormac Cullinan speaks at the World’s People’s Summit on Climate at Cochabamba, Bolivia April 2010

Books
Cormac Cullinan,  Wild Law, 2nd Edition

Articles
Natural Law: From Rural Pennsylvannia to South America, aGlobal Alliance is Promoting the idea that Ecosystems Have Intrinsic Rights, by Jason Mark

Organizations
The Pachamana Alliance
The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund and Rights of Nature Ordinance
The Global Alliance for The Rights of Nature