Why is Rights of Nature Law Necessary? Because it is critically important to speak for and protect all of Nature if we want life on Earth–including ours–to continue. Nature includes rivers lakes and streams, forests, native plants, all wildlife (including us), and ecosystems. All wildlife depends on healthy ecosystems to survive.
Nature’s ecosystems are the organs of the Earth that regulate climate, yet we are relentlessly destroying them. The great unraveling of Earth’s living systems is happening as you are reading this blog. We have lost 68 percent of global wildlife populations in the last 50 years. Think about this: how many species can we lose before the web of life collapses?
Our current worldview sees Nature as property to be used. Rights of Nature is a new worldview, which recognizes that Nature has inherent rights, like a forest’s right to exist or a river’s right to flow and be protected from toxins. This worldview will require a complete change in mindset, and is long overdue. It requires moving from ego-centric to eco-centric.
Despite the passage of thousands of environmental laws in recent decades, Nature continues to decline as a result of biodiversity loss, extraction, deforestation, air pollution, contamination of rivers and watersheds, and climate crisis. One of the major causes of Nature’s decline is our legal system’s treatment of Nature as human property, to be exploited for short-term profits.
Our current laws offer limited protection for Nature, and only for the benefit of people and corporations. When these laws are applied, they permit resource extraction, waste discharge, habitat degradation, and species extinction at slower but continuing rates. Obviously, this will not stop global environmental decline.
Do you think we can avoid being impacted by Nature’s destruction? What we do to Nature we do to ourselves. We are seeing the impacts now with heat waves, extreme weather, wildfires, and massive hurricanes as a result of climate crisis and compromised ecosystems.
Rights of Nature is a rapidly spreading global movement inspired by the indigenous worldview. There are many organizations working to support Rights of Nature. One among others in our country is the Earth Law Center.
Earth Law Center
Earth Law Center (ELC), founded in 2008, is based in Durango, Colorado. ELC is a legal nonprofit group working toward a paradigm shift in environmental law. This ELC paper describes how states can implement and fund rights-based initiatives.
What ELC can provide community activists
- Research about the pros and cons of different approaches
- Experts who can give presentations and answer questions
- Help to write and design outreach materials
- Examples of resolutions and ordinances for writing your own
- Help to write a resolution or law tailored to your circumstances
- Help to create an implementation strategy
Transition Town Greater Media’s Biodiversity Group is working to raise awareness about Rights of Nature law. We need your help.
What you can do
- Help raise awareness about Rights of Nature
- Read and share our Rights of Nature blogs
- Check out the ELC Community toolkit for Rights of Nature
- Contact ELC at [email protected] for help to promote Rights of Nature in your community
- Plant native trees and native plants.
- Stop using pesticides
- Join Transition Town Media’s Biodiversity Group
- Contact us at [email protected]
What we will lose if we don’t change direction.
“The drive to recognize the Rights of Nature is absolutely critical if we are to again find a balance with the world that supports us”.
~ David Suzuki
Photos from Pixabay and Free Images
We need to establish the Rights of Nature to right the Wrongs against Nature.