Earth Day Editorial
This editorial is being written on Earth Day in recognition of the significance of the Earth to our very existence. We can become blasé about Earth and work upon it, and live upon it, as though it is our right, and give little recognition or understanding of the delicate systems that comprise its being.
The fact that there are Earth Laws might be a surprise to many. Part of the story behind these laws comes from Thomas Berry’s Principles of Earth Jurisprudence. If you haven’t read them please click on the highlighted link. There is a language behind the principles which reflect a unity between humans and Earth. It suggests that we no longer see Earth in the objective frame but connect on a one-to-one basis in much the same as we might connect with a love one. In other words, the objective reference frame dissolves leaving a person with a strong and more subjective alignment with Earth. The journey from objective to subjective is critical in the pursuit of the recognition of the need for an Earth Law.
In Australia, the focus of Earth Law is on the Australian Earth Laws Alliance based at Griffith University in Brisbane.
Here is a list of their links that are worth investigating:
The principles as underlined in the links above align with the principles we support in the Institute of Ecological Agriculture.
Throughout the world there is an active engagement in getting to know planet Earth. It is a movement with its grounding in environmental law which is helping to craft a more comprehensive Earth law—one grounded in the great law of how our planet works.
There have been remarkable wins this year:
Chile: Rights of Nature [RoN] adopted by constitutional convention for proposed constitution;
Ecuador: cases upholding constitutional provisions on RoN and applying them;
Mexico: RoN added to constitution of Oaxaca;
Panama: enacted a RoN Law;
Montenegro: hydroelectric power plant blocked under Bern Convention to preserve biodiversity;
USA: many items have brought hope and increased commitment to working with Earth Law Centres [ELC] on its innovative legal work. For information about the USA’s ELC’s role in the foregoing see its Year-end Newsletter which provides a good overview of the points raised above and demonstrates the strength of the movement worldwide.
For anyone interested in Earth Law, The Australian Earth Law Alliance is holding two workshops starting in July.
Who should attend? Everyone!
This course is aimed at a general audience of practitioners and scholars who wish to learn about how to integrate ecocentric thinking and practice more effectively into their own work. Ecocentric thinking is central to regenerative agriculture so the value of attending is two fold!