With every new headline relaying the detrimental effects of climate change, it can be easy to overlook the positive climate news that filters through our feed each week. There is good being done on the environment’s behalf, with nature increasingly being afforded legal rights of its own. A number of ecosystems around the world have been declared living entities by local or federal courts, many of them also granted personhood, and laws are being codified to manage, conserve, and protect the natural environment. From Australia to the Americas, these seven countries have set the world stage with landmark cases concerning the rights of nature. In Ecuador, nature is known as Pachamama, a loose translation of Mother Earth from the Inca fertility goddess of the same name. In 2008, the nation famous for being a launch point for the Galapagos Islands, one of the original 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites, made history by becoming the first country in the world to ratify a constitution amended to include nature’s rights. Article 71 of the redrafted constitution states that Pachamama not only has the right to exist but also to have its “maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structures, functions, and […]
Latest Articles
Okanagan conservation group looks to protect wildlife with ecological corridor
Looking east towards Black Mountain over the Okanagan valley. The Okanagan is home to a vast array of wildlife. Unfortunately, however, the region...
More than 50 countries commit to protection of 30% of Earth’s land and oceans
A coalition of more than 50 countries has committed to protect almost a third of the planet by 2030 to halt the destruction...
Greener planes of the future… or just pretty plans?
BBC News image captionThe Airbus Maveric is a remote-controlled blended-wing test aircraft At an undisclosed location Airbus has spent months testing a radical...
Hawaii Will Power Its Clean Grid With 6,000 Home Batteries Installed by Swell Energy
Swell will link batteries in 6,000 different homes to create a decentralized power plant for the local utility. The virtual power plant model...
Cox Enterprises Accelerates Sustainability Goals by 10 Years
Cox Enterprises announced on January 21, 2021, that it has accelerated its goal to be carbon and water neutral from 2044 to 2034 as...
Total Buys Stake in Adani Green Energy, World’s Biggest Solar Developer
Adani won a huge 8 GW tender in India last June. (Credit: Adani Renewables) Total is aiming for 35 GW of operational renewable...