Monthly Update: November 2023

Krystal,

Earth Law Center (ELC) had an active November! We invite you to scroll below or use the above index to read about our recent activities and upcoming events.

If you'd like to support ELC with a year-end gift, please donate by clicking the banner just below, or reach out to info@earthlaw.org about major gifts or planned giving. Thank you!

—The team at Earth Law Center

Panama’s Supreme Court Upholds Rights of Nature, Declares Country’s Largest Copper Mine Unconstitutional

On November 28, 2023, Panama’s Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Cobré Panamá copper mine unconstitutional, following weeks of nationwide protests. According to President Laurentino Cortizo, a process to close the mine will soon commence. The Court’s decision references the national Rights of Nature law, Law 287, passed in February 2022, among its rationale for ruling against the mine. The ruling represents a landmark victory for the burgeoning Rights of Nature movement, which seeks to recognize that Nature has basic rights under the law, just as humans do. 

Check out the full press release here, with quotes from Congressman Juan Diego Vásquez Gutiérrez, Panama’s youngest congressperson, who introduced the national Rights of Nature law; Callie Veelenturf, marine conservation biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and founder of The Leatherback Project, who originally proposed the concept of a new Rights of Nature law in Panama; and Constanza Prieto Figelist, Latin America Legal Director at Earth Law Center, which provided input and expertise on the Rights of Nature during the legislative drafting process.

Earth Lawyers’ Legacy Program Now Accepting Applications

Calling all retired legal professionals (lawyers & others) who want to join the Earth law movement! Earth Law Center is hosting a 3-week fellowship specifically for retirees based in beautiful Durango, Colorado, at our office on Main Ave right downtown.

Dates: May 6-24, 2024

Schedule: The first week, you'll learn about Earth law; the second two weeks, you'll work on an impactful project on the rights of nature, rights of future generations, ecocentric law, or related fields. In between, you'll be able to experience world class hiking, biking, hot springs, and other activities in Southwest Colorado. (We're in the process of considering remote options, too, so feel free to reach out if you're interested but wouldn't be able to make it to Colorado.)

Housing: You’re welcome to find your own housing in or around Durango, or we can assist in finding you lodging with a local supporter.

To Apply: Email your resume and a 1–page maximum cover letter to volunteer@earthlaw.org. You'll hear back in a week or so.

More details here: https://www.earthlawcenter.org/legacyfellowship 

New Features on the Earth Law Portal

We're excited to share these new features on the Earth Law Portal! The portal is your gateway to learn from cutting-edge legal models and letters, particularly those being developed internationally, that recognize the rights and honor the voices of ecosystems, species, and future generations while empowering local communities to create a thriving future.

• Add your own materials to the portal!  Using a simple form, you can now submit legal or letter templates, reports, multimedias, and even your logo to help collaborate with us in "Transforming Ideas to Action for a Healthier Planet" 🌎. 
• New ways to share! With a single click, you can now share model laws, resolutions, and other legal instruments via Facebook, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn.
• Earth Law Experiments! We’ve added a new topic under Research & Development titled "Explorations." Here you’ll find a collection of Earth Law experiments that users can implement in their own communities.
• New year, new materials! We’re continuing to add new materials to the portal in 2024, so stay tuned to see what’s in store as we continue to advocate for all life on earth. 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Global Grantee Convening 

Earth Law Center participated in the annual Global Grantee Convening of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation this month.

The focus of the forum was on structural belonging and its impact on health and health equity. The participants contributed to an insightful conversation on ensuring belonging in their projects, resulting in the remarkable visual summary of the gathering that you see above.

ELC also announced the launch of the Earth Law Portal, for which it received a significant grant from the foundation, at the gathering.

TRVST Interviews Tony Zelle, ELC General Counsel 

On November 6th, the online platform TRVST published its interview with ELC's Tony Zelle.

The interview covers topics including ELC's founding vision in 2009, the evolution of Earth law in the past 15 years, ELC's work on river campaigns, Ocean Rights, Nature Governance, and much more. Check it out!

Earth Law Center Visits University of Utah Honors College

ELC Executive Director Grant Wilson lectured at the University of Utah Honors College at its beautiful campus in Salt Lake City. Speaking to a packed house on Earth law, the Rights of Nature, and giving a voice to Nature, he placed special importance on the topic of renewed relationship with the Great Salt Lake, which is drying up due to excessive diversions and other threats. The dewatering of the lake is a "co-violation" of Nature's rights and human environmental rights. Brine shrimp and flies are on the verge of collapse, 10 million migratory birds are at risk, and local communities are threatened by arsenic-laden dust storms that will be exposed from the drying lake.

A new lawsuit brought by environmental groups (represented by Earthjustice) intends to ensure adequate water levels in the Great Salt Lake based on the public trust doctrine, which establishes a fiduciary duty for Utah to protect the lake. "I am optimistic about this case and, generally, the increased use of the public trust doctrine to protect natural systems where statutory law has failed," says Wilson. "There are also many exciting ways to give the Great Salt Lake a formal voice in governance, such as by drawing from the Mar Menor guardianship framework in Spain."

ELC along with Save Our Great Salt Lake, Save The Colorado, Talking Rivers, and other groups have worked on template language for a local resolution on this topic, available online.

Dec. 4th: ELC’s Tony Zelle to Speak at Victoria University of Wellington (online participation available)

Earth Law Center General Counsel Tony Zelle and Professor Karen Bradshaw will give a public lecture at Victoria University of Wellington School of Law on Dec. 4th titled “Animal Rights: Rights of Nature and Interspecies Equity.” The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. local New Zealand time (8:30 p.m. PST, 11:30 p.m. EST).

Worldwide, humankind continues to treat non-human animals largely as property. While animal welfare laws provide some consideration, Earth laws provide approaches that respect the intrinsic value of other species. In this lecture, the speakers will examine other approaches and provide examples that give greater rights to non-human animals. Register here with in-person and virtual options: https://vuw.eventsair.com/animal-law-lecture/registration-form/Site/Register

The public lecture precedes the Earth Law Symposium: Transforming Law and Governance for a Planet in Crisis conference, co-hosted by Earth Law Center and Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington School of Law, on Dec. 6th. 

Dec. 7th: Giving Nature a Voice in Southwest Colorado

An ELC Panel Event in Durango

What if Nature itself had a formal role in our legal system? What would it say, and how would it make decisions? 

Join Earth Law Center and friends on Dec. 7, 6:30-8pm, at Pine Needle Dry Goods in Durango, CO to learn about the Rights of Nature movement and how it might be put to work in Southwest Colorado.

RSVP here: https://givingnatureavoice.rsvpify.com

Full details below:

Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser