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Earth Law Monthly Update
June 2023

Dear Friends:

This month, we highlight the launch of the Summer Earth Law course, ELC's work in Africa, a major victory for the rights of rivers in Ecuador, the Water Back movement, and several events on Ocean Rights. We are thrilled to have a platform through our summer course to speak in almost 50 different countries this month. From what we see, the world is hungry to learn about Earth law! Thank you, as always, for the support. 

-Earth Law Center Team

EARTH LAW EDUCATION

"Intro to Earth Law" Summer Class in Full Swing

Earth Law Center's award-winning summer course is off to a great start! July 28 was our first class. 200 people registered and over 100 attended the first session live, with others participating asynchronously. Taught by industry experts and practitioners, this class covers the shortcomings of environmental laws, the emergence of Earth Law, the Rights of Nature and Future Generations, Ecocide, and many other topics. 

Thank you to our first cohort of teachers: J. Kim Wright (Director of the The Integrative Law Center) and ELC's Tony Zelle, Dr. Kelsey Leonard, Alexandra Pimor, Herman Greene, and Grant Wilson. A huge thanks to the teaching assistants, too!

We are thrilled to have a global audience in the Earth law space! Participants are from Bangladesh, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Panama, Peru, Republic of Korea, Romania, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, USA, and Venezuela.

Learn more about the class on our education page: https://www.earthlawcenter.org/education. 

Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature Africa Hub Meeting in South Africa

The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature Africa Hub (GARN Africa Hub) will hold its first in-person meeting in July in Cape Town, South Africa. Irikefe Dafe, ELC’s Africa lead and founder/CEO of the River Ethiope Trust Foundation and the Foundation for Conservation of Nigerian Rivers, is a steering committee member for the GARN Africa Hub and will join the meeting. The major goal of the meeting is for participants to develop a joint position paper on the Rights of Nature movement in Africa. 

While in South Africa, Dafe will participate in a multi-day workshop, training activities, and public events, where he will present papers on the Rights of Nature from African perspectives with other steering committee members. In addition, Dafe will be sharing his three decades of  knowledge and experience on restoration and protection of rivers with special focus on River Ethiope, which is poised to be the first river in Africa to be granted legal rights. Dafe will also be sharing his experience and knowledge of his role as ELC’s Africa lead, amongst other affiliations.

WATER ADVOCACY

Igniting Global Solidarity: Groundbreaking Paper Examines Indigenous #WaterBack Movement

 Dr. Kelsey Leonard, ELC Director of Water Advocacy, led an international group of Indigenous researchers in authoring a groundbreaking paper on #WaterBack. The paper, entitled “Water Back: A Review Centering Rematriation and Indigenous Water Research Sovereignty,” represents a crucial milestone in the global movement for Indigenous sovereignty and solidarity. 

While the #LandBack movement has brought attention to the oppression faced by Indigenous Peoples, the profound connection between Indigenous Peoples and water has often been overlooked. This pioneering paper defines #WaterBack as the return of water and kin to Indigenous governance, empowering resurgent Indigenous water relationships that are essential for cultural, spiritual, and political sovereignty. It recognizes Indigenous rights and responsibilities towards water.

As the lead author, Leonard emphasizes the significance of this holistic framework, deeply rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing, doing, and being. The paper advances Indigenous water research and safeguards water, the planet, and future generations. Join the movement for #WaterBack! This groundbreaking paper encapsulates the wisdom, knowledge, and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read the paper here: https://bit.ly/waterbackreview.  

OCEAN RIGHTS

Progress Continues towards a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights
In June, the Mayor of the Hague, Netherlands, Jan van Zanen, formally signed on in support of a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights. The mayor now joins Cabo Verde; Itajai, Brazil; Newport, Rhode Island; Aarhus, Denmark; Kiel, Germany; Genoa, Italy; and Santa Catarina, Brazil in formal support for the UDOR. Our partners at The Ocean Race were also present at the United Nations SDG Lounge at Cannes Lions 2023 to share how Ocean rights can help achieve SDG 14 to sustainably use the Ocean and seas. (The panel begins at 46:00)

Support Expands to Oregon for the Rights for the Southern Resident Orcas
The mayor and city council members of Depoe Bay, OR, signed a proclamation May 6 describing the city of Depoe Bay’s support for action by local, state, federal and tribal governments that secure and effectuate the inherent rights of the Southern Resident Orcas. Depoe Bay is the first city in Oregon to proclaim its support for the Southern Resident Orcas. The proclamation comes a few months after the Washington cities of Port Townsend, Gig Harbor, Langley, Bainbridge, and Des Moines made history by passing similar proclamations. Then Jefferson County passed its own proclamation in January 2023. San Juan County and Pierce County followed shortly thereafter. You can see the growing list here and check out the awesome map on Legal Rights for the Salish Sea showing our progress!

Updated Orcas Toolkit Alert
We have updated our Orca Rights Campaign Toolkit, available on our website, to provide every person the tools they need to be an advocate on behalf of the Southern Resident Orcas. The update includes sample social media posts, template letters to government officials to build support, a FAQ, talking points, and a template proclamation and resolution to use when introducing this concept to your community leaders.

EARTH LAW ADVOCACY

ELC Latin American Legal Team Advocates to the Peruvian Congress for Protection of the Amazon and its Native Bees

On May 19, ELC lawyers Constanza Prieto Figelist and Javier Ruiz alongside scientists Rosa Vasquez and Cesar Delgado were invited to present a series of recommendations to two commissions of Peru's Congress: 1) the Agrarian Commission and 2) the Commission on Andean, Amazonian and Afro-Peruvian Peoples, the Environment and Ecology. Our recommendations supported the following ecocentric legal reforms within Law N.° 26305:

1. Declare stingless bees a subject of national interest;

2. Recognize the intrinsic value of all bees and their symbiotic relationship with their ecosystems; and

3. Establish protection measures for stingless bees and their ecosystems, such as prohibiting and regulating pesticides, adapting urban areas to pollinator needs, and mitigating change.

ELC and partners have an active campaign to protect native stingless bees and their ecosystems in Peru. We invite you to sign the petition: https://chng.it/j8LGFbZb6F. To donate or support this campaign, please contact cpfigelisr@earthlaw.org.

EARTH LAW ENFORCEMENT

Justice Arrives for Dulcepamba River and Its Communities

On May 30, after 20 years of struggle, Justicia Dulcepamba, the 140 communities of the Dulcepamba River Basin, and the Dulcepamba Project won a major victory against an extremely harmful hydroelectric project in Ecuador called Hidrotambo. Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Ecological Transition issued resolution No. 4542-2022 that revokes the water use permit of the project's operator, Hidrotambo S.A., within the Dulcepamba River, ending a dark chapter in the history of this co-violation of human rights and Rights of Nature.

This case has been emblematic for the Rights of Nature. In 2021, a court decision required Hidrotambo S.A. to respect the ecological flows of the Dulcepamba River and to no longer divert water during the drought season. In 2022, a chamber of the Tungurahua Provincial Court of Justice, in a constitutional process, ruled that the failure to apply the precautionary principle when approving the hydroelectric project violated the Rights of Nature and the right to water of the San José de Tambo community.

ELC has been involved in this case since 2019, supporting the communities through the filing of amicus briefs in various judicial and administrative processes in defense of the Rights of the Dulcepamba River and the 140 communities affected by the harmful Hidrotambo project. Justice has finally arrived for the river and its communities!

Thanks to all our volunteers and donors who make it possible to celebrate this great victory with our partners today.

Review the full decision (only in Spanish) 

Review our amicus Curiae briefs (only in Spanish)

EARTH LAW MEXICO

Highlighting Earth Law Champions: Historic Judicial Decision Protects Yucatan Cenotes

ELC is proud to highlight the work of other groups advancing the Rights of Nature in Mexico! On May 30, the Kanan Ts'ono'ot (Guardians of the Cenotes) collective (with support from Fundación para el debido proceso, the "Due Process Foundation") secured a definitive suspension in the courts of megaprojects that threaten the "Ring of Cenotes" in the Yucatán, a sensitive environment and sacred Mayan site. Cenotes are large caves and sinkholes with vast networks of water.

In a historic judicial decision, the Fourth District Court recognized the importance of preserving the natural and cultural wealth of this protected area and has taken measures to guarantee the protection of this invaluable heritage. The collective had filed an amparo lawsuit before the federal justice to demand the protection and recognition of the cenotes as subjects of law in order to protect their rights to a healthy environment, their self-determination, and the protection of their cultural legacy.

Alliances for Oceans Rights and Biodiversity

Claudia Brindis, the Operative Director of Earth Law Center Mexico, participated in Oceans Week Mexico 2023 on June 10, supporting new alliances to advance the recognition of Ocean rights. She also participated in the first dialogue with legislators for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which took place in the Federal Congress on June 14 and marked a good start for future meetings to implement the legal framework on biodiversity in Mexico.

Highlighting Earth Law Champions: Bee Protections in Mexico

Also fighting for the rights of bees are the Mayan communities of the Chenes Collective and Kaabnalo'on Mayan Alliance for the Bees, with support from the Fundación para el debido proceso, the "Due Process Foundation." This group filed an amparo lawsuit before the federal courts on May 20 due to the federal, state, and municipal governments’ nonintervention to prevent the death of millions of bees in the state caused by deforestation and the excessive use of toxic agro-chemicals. The Second District Judge in the state of Campeche issued a provisional suspension of activities that have caused the death of bees. The lawsuit also seeks to judicially recognize bees as subjects of rights and the Mayan communities as their guardians.

INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHTS

This summer, ELC will feature its amazing interns, externs, and volunteers! We have an incredible array of Future Earth Leaders from law school to high school, all serving important roles within the organization. Stay tuned for more profiles next month! 

EARTH LAW EDUCATION

Earth Law Summer Course Alum Publishes New Book on Animal Rights

ELC congratulates Johana Fernanda Sánchez Jaramillo on the publication of Los animales como sujetos de derechos una categoría jurídica en disputa (Animals as Subjects of Rights: A Legal Category in Dispute). This book “challenges the current status of animals, in Columbia and around the world, and advocates for their liberation," according to the author. Johana took ELC’s summer Earth Law course in 2022. 

The book is about analyzing and questioning, from an activist's perspective, the legal status of other animals in various branches of law in Colombia, Latin America, and other countries, such as the United States, France, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The central theme is the need to de-objectify them so they acquire the status of subjects of rights. The book also explores the reasons why animals are seen as things and proposes alternatives.

You can purchase the book here!

EARTH LAW MOVEMENT BUILDING

Last Chance to Host Your Own 'Garage Sale for the Earth'

Have some excess belongings that remained through spring cleaning? We invite you to participate in Earth Law Center's 'Garage Sale for the Earth' in your own neighborhood! This fundraiser and community event will help ELC continue to restore the Earth's ecosystems through legal innovation AND promote a circular economy with recycling and reuse. Win-win!

ELC Community Garage Sale for the Earth
Date: July 15th and/or July 16th
Location: Your Yard, Garage, Stoop, or Community Space

The event will be a network of coordinated used goods sales--whether in a garage, a stoop, or any community space--held by ELC supporters on the same weekend. Please sign up here. You can also read the full details here. We will follow up with registrants to provide additional details and designed flyers.