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Earth Law Monthly Update
May 2023

This month, we highlight Rhode Island's support for Ocean Rights, the new Earth Law Summer Course, Rights of Nature in Mexico, and work on the Rights of Nature and environmental access rights by ELC's Latin America team, amongst other initiatives. We also onboarded our enormously talented summer interns & Future Earth Leaders, who are hard at work advancing Earth law across the U.S. and world. Stay tuned for updates on their work throughout the summer!

-Earth Law Center Team

EARTH LAW MOVEMENT BUILDING

Ocean Rights Take Center Stage in Rhode Island

On May 9, the Rhode Island House of Representatives approved a resolution welcoming The Ocean Race, recognizing the rights of their communities to live in a healthy and clean environment, and recognizing the rights of natural communities and ecosystems within Rhode Island to exist, flourish, evolve, regenerate, recover, and be restored. This is the first approved state level Rights of Nature action in the United States!

ELC looks forward to continuing to work with Rhode Island on next steps toward more binding action and recognition of the Rights of the Ocean in the next legislative session. Read our press release and watch a great recap video from Cherie Bridges of The Ocean Race on the House introduction and reading.

The Ocean Race Summit Newport, held during the round-the-world sailing race’s fifth leg stopover in Newport, Rhode Island, explored “Shore to Sea” solutions for Ocean health and brought together over 150 government, civil society, and private sector representatives. Rachel Bustamante, ELC’s Ocean Science & Policy Analyst, spoke on our interconnected relationship with the Ocean, sharing advancements of Rights of Nature laws and our vision toward a Universal Declaration of Ocean Rights (UDOR). You can read more about the Newport summit here. Additionally, in the previous stopover in April in Itajai, Brazil, both the governor of Santa Catarina and mayor of Itajai officially signed on in support of the UDOR initiative. 

ELC also held another Innovation Workshop to gather stakeholders, gain feedback, and build partnerships toward international recognition of the Ocean’s Rights, with two more workshops expected in our lead-up toward the United Nations General Assembly convening in September.

• Want to learn more and see how you can contribute to this process? We have our updated concept note now available.
• Please do not forget to sign and share the One Blue Voice petition to raise your voice for the Ocean!

New Summer Earth Law Course Announced

Please join us for our introductory 2023 summer course, “Intro to Earth Law.” This series has six classes: 11 a.m.–1 p.m. EDT on Wednesdays from June 28 to August 2. The course will follow the legal textbook Earth Law: Emerging Ecocentric Law - A Guide for Practitioners (Aspen Series, 2022). All participants are asked to apply using this online form. Space is limited, so please apply soon!

Students will learn from leading experts in Earth law. They will also join a network of Earth lawyers and practitioners from around the world. Topics will include the emergence of Earth Law, the Rights of Nature and Future Generations, Ecocide, and many others. 

If you have already taken ELC’s summer course or completed an internship with us, you can also apply for a course that dives deeper into Earth law held later this summer. Just indicate your interest in the application.

Students are required to purchase the Earth Law coursebook, which is $125 for the eBook or $175 (plus $9 shipping) for the hard copy + eBook. Extra costs for international shipping of the hard copy may apply. However, we do not want to exclude any students based on costs, so scholarships are available; just express your interest in the application, or indicate your capacity to “pay it forward” to support another student's book.

EARTH LAW IN MEXICO

Rights of Nature in the State of Mexico

Claudia Brindis, Operative Director of ELC México, and her team contributed to the proposed constitutional amendment to recognize the Rights of Nature in the State of Mexico, which was presented on April 12 by Congressman Max Correa. The proposal would amend four articles in the constitution of the State of Mexico, establishing a duty for all humans, industries, and governments to care for and restore Nature. This reform is expected to be approved before the end of this year.

This success builds from another recent victory in the State of Mexico: the recognition of the biocultural heritage and instrinsic value of native corn in 2022, also championed by Congressman Max Correa with support from ELC. Mexico has become a hotspot for state-level Rights of Nature victories, inspiring other governments to give a voice and rights to Nature. 

EARTH LAW CONFERENCE

Rights of Nature Litigation Strategies Featured at International Conference

Javier Ruiz, ELC’s Expert in Environmental Policy and Climate Change, participated in the thematic round table on Rights of Nature and Animal Rights at the Third Conference on Law and Nature organized by the Universidad Nacional del Litoral in Santa Fe, Argentina, on May 8. Javier spoke about using the Rights of Nature within strategic litigation to address climate change in Latin America. The event continued with presentations by prominent researchers on topics such as the principle of Harmony with Nature, biodignity, and the relationship between the Rights of Nature and human environmental rights.

FRIENDS OF EARTH LAW

North Carolina Advances Rights of Nature for the Haw River

This month, we are thrilled to highlight the campaign to recognize the rights of the Haw River in North Carolina. The Haw River a cherished waterway of great ecological and cultural importance. Crystal Cavalier-Keck, a member of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation and co-founder of 7 Directions of Service, is leading the movement to protect the Haw River.

Flowing 110 miles from its headwaters, the Haw River holds profound significance for both the environment and local indigenous communities. The proposed bill seeks to recognize the Haw River as a legal person, acknowledging its intrinsic value and critical role in maintaining the delicate ecological balance of the region. By extending these rights, North Carolina aims to safeguard the river's health and the well-being of all dependent life and ecosystems.

Although not a partner on the campaign, ELC staff collaborates with Movement Rights and the organization’s Intertribal Rights of Nature forums, amongst others. We will closely monitor the progress of this bill, recognizing its potential to set a compelling precedent for similar endeavors nationwide.

EARTH LAW CAMPAIGN

Earth Law Center Participates in the Interdisciplinary Dialogues of the Rights of Nature

Constanza Prieto Figelist, ELC’s Latin American Legal Director, participated in the "Cycle of Interdisciplinary Dialogues on the Rights of Nature," organized by FIMA in Santiago de Chile on May 16. The second session of this series focused on water protections and hydrological processes. Constanza shared ELC’s work on the study and development of ecocentric legislation in the region, pointing out the advantages of adopting a legal mechanism based on the Rights of Nature to ensure the protection of water for the environment and climate from an ecosystem perspective. She also highlighted democratic governance of water systems. See the recording here (Spanish only).

EARTH LAW IN LATIN AMERICA

Event on Environmental Access Rights Offered Broader Perspective and Inclusion

ELC's Latin American team and Defensa Ambiental led an official side event within the framework of the second meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP 2) of the Escazú Agreement in Argentina on April 21. The event focused on environmental defenders, barriers to access to justice, gender, and inter-culturality. Participants included governmental members and experts on Indigenous people’s rights, gender, and the Escazú Agreement.

The event's main focus was to raise awareness and reflect on the need for a gender perspective and the inclusion of Indigenous women in the implementation of this regional treaty. María Curriao, one of the leaders of the Indigenous Pehuenches’ defense of Chile’s historic Biobío River, provided an important perspective on frontline environmental protections that you can watch (along with other remarks) in the event recording (Spanish only).