There is an urgent need for a Rights of Nature law. Did you know townships, boroughs and counties in Pennsylvania are prevented by state law to pass legislation that would protect their residents from harmful corporate and industrial activities that damage their environment, health, and safety?
Recent examples of damaging environmental activities in Delaware County are the Sunoco pipeline, mosquito spray drift, lawn and garden pesticide use, Covanta incinerator, Delcora wastewater treatment plant, and now a proposal for a Liquid Natural Gas terminal in Chester. This is why we need a Rights of Nature law amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.
Rights of Nature is a global movement that is gaining acceptance. The idea of a Rights of Nature law would not have occurred unless a shift was beginning to happen in our thinking about Nature. That shift is from the old worldview of seeing Nature as something to be owned and exploited to seeing it as a living entity to be protected. This new worldview moves us from ego-centric to eco-centric behavior. It is a recognition that we are just one part of the web of life. All creatures on this planet are necessary for life to continue.
Giving Nature rights–beginning with local laws and moving up to state and federal laws–is vitally important, because our lives depend on a healthy environment. Changing our world view from one of extraction and polluting the Earth to protecting Nature would lead to a radical transformation in our relationship to the environment, but it is urgent if life is to continue on this planet at a time of climate crisis.
What you can do
- Give this some serious thought.
- Think about what you can do to help.
- Join us! Contact us: [email protected]
- Help spread the word by sharing this information.
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