EARTH JURISPRUDENCE In Alphabetical Order by Section/Title
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Earth Jurisprudenceor Earth Law recognizes the Earth as the primary source of law which sets human law in a context greater than that of humanity. Human law-making should derive from the laws which govern Earth and its life systems. Thus, the way we govern ourselves should be founded on an ethical code of practice which requires us to respect and uphold the inalienable rights of the entire Earth Community and future generations of all species. Adapted from the GAIA Foundation (see http://www.gaiafoundation.org/earth-centred-law)
This page contains resources that explain and promote the principles of Earth Jurisprudence. Earth Jurisprudence seeks to construct a legal and philosophical framework for the integrity of earth systems, the inter-relationship of all earth's entities, and the rights of the earth's community of communities to exist and sustain themselves within their own niches and habitats.
Harmony with Nature (Report of the UN Secretary General) UN General Assembly, 72nd Session Item 20 -- Published 16 Aug 2017 "To achieve the greatest number of Sustainable Development Goals and comply with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is important to focus efforts to promote, respect, protect and guarantee the rights of Nature. In doing so, a radical change is needed in how the disciplines of law, economics, politics, arts and the media, among others, comply with true ecological sustainable development in the twenty-first century. Inspiration should be taken from the indigenous peoples in the way they relate to the Earth; that is, humans are born within the confinement of the Earth, are part of it and are never above it."
See also: “Oslo Manifesto” for Ecological Law and Governance: From Environmental Law to Ecological Law - A Call for Re-Framing Law and Governance Adopted at the IUCN WCEL Ethics Specialist Group Workshop, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, University of Oslo -- 21 June 2016
Pope Francis' Address at the UN -- 25 Sep 2015 "... every creature, particularly a living creature, has an intrinsic value, in its existence, its life, its beauty and its interdependence with other creatures."
A Different Dimension of Loss: Inside the Great Insect Die-Off Jacob Mikanowski, The Guardian -- 14 Dec 2017 "... Even as thousands of new species are being discovered every year, thousands more seem to be disappearing, swept away in an ecological catastrophe that has come to be known as the sixth extinction"
Ask the Beasts: Darwin and the God of Love Elizabeth A. Johnson, Bloomsbury Continuum Publications -- 08 Oct 2015 An examination of the relationship between faith in God and the concept of ecological care within a crisis of biodiversity
Bhaskar Save, The Ghandi of Natural Farming Bharat Mansate (excerpt from his book "The Vision of Natural Farming), Institute of Science in Society -- 24 Feb 2014 "Natural farming is holistic and bio-diverse organic farming in harmony with nature. It is low-intervention, ecological and sustainable. In its purest advanced form, it is a ‘do-nothing’ way of farming where nature does everything, or almost everything, so very little needs to be done by the farmer."
Dream of the Earth Thomas Berry, Sierra Club -- 1988
Ecological Governance: Reappraising Law's Role in Protecting Ecosystem Functionality Olivia Woolley, Cambridge University Press -- Nov 2014 "Ecological Governance explores how the law should respond to ... rapid global deterioration of ecosystems by examining the foundational scientific and ethical considerations for designing laws that are effective for ecological protection."
Eradicating Ecocide: Laws and Governance to Prevent the Destruction of Our Planet Polly Higgins, Shepheard-Walwyn Publishers, LTD -- 2010
Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community Thomas Berry, Edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker, Sierra Club and University of California Press -- 2009
Exploring Wild Law: The Philosophy of Earth Jurisprudence Peter Burdon, Ed, Wakefield Press -- 2011
Fighting for Our Shared Future: Protecting Both Human Rights and Nature's Rights Linda Sheehan & Grant Wilson, Earth Law Center -- Dec 2015 ELC's report summarizes the findings from 100 sets of rights co-violations and provides recommendations for immediate and longer-term action. Consistent with the messages of Pope Francisand other world leaders recognizing the rights of nature, the report finds that we must evolve our laws and judicial systems to reflect the fact that our well-being is inextricably bound up with that of the Earth.
Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth James Lovelock, Oxford University Press -- 1979
Gaia: The Practical Science of Planetary Medicine James Lovelock, Gaia Books -- 1991
Harmony with Nature (Report of the UN Secretary General) UN General Assembly, 72nd Session Item 20 -- Published 16 Aug 2017 "To achieve the greatest number of Sustainable Development Goals and comply with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is important to focus efforts to promote, respect, protect and guarantee the rights of Nature. In doing so, a radical change is needed in how the disciplines of law, economics, politics, arts and the media, among others, comply with true ecological sustainable development in the twenty-first century. Inspiration should be taken from the indigenous peoples in the way they relate to the Earth; that is, humans are born within the confinement of the Earth, are part of it and are never above it."
Humans Just 0.01% of All Life but Have Destroyed 83% of Wild Mammals: Groundbreaking assessment of all life on Earth reveals humanity’s surprisingly tiny part in it as well as our disproportionate impact Damian Carrington, The Guardian - 21 May 2018 "The world’s 7.6 billion people represent just 0.01% of all living things, according to the study. Yet since the dawn of civilisation, humanity has caused the loss of 83% of all wild mammals and half of plants, while livestock kept by humans abounds."
Journey of the Universe Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Yale University Press -- 2011
Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home Pope Francis, Encyclical on Ecology -- 24 May 2015 "Pope Francis’ first encyclical is focused on the idea of ‘integral ecology’, connecting care of the natural world with justice for the poorest and most vulnerable people. Only by radically reshaping our relationships with God, with our neighbours and with the natural world ... can we hope to tackle the threats facing our planet today."Vatican Radio, 18 June 2015
Making Peace with the Earth Vandana Shiva, Pluto Press -- 2013 "Making Peace with the Earth outlines how a paradigm shift to earth-centred politics and economics is our only chance of survival; and how collective resistance to corporate exploitation can open the way to a new environmentalism of interdependence and earth democracy."
Should Trees Have Standing: Law, Morality and the Environment (Third Edition) Christopher D. Stone, Oxford University Press -- 29 Apr 2010
Show Mercy to our Common Home Message of Pope Francis on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation -- 01 Sep 2016 "God gave us a bountiful garden, but we have turned it into a polluted wasteland of 'debris, desolation and filth'. We must not be indifferent or resigned to the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of ecosystems, often caused by our irresponsible and selfish behaviour"
The Earth Only Endures: On Reconnecting with Nature and Our Place In It Jules Pretty, Routledge Publications -- May 2009
The Future Climate of Amazonia: Scientific Assessment Report Antonio Donato Nobre, Articulación Regional Amazônica, São José dos Campos SP, Brazil -- Oct 2014 "The forest is a spectacular technological park of nature, a living complex, a powerful, versatile factory of environmental services. Any call made for the valuation of the forest must embrace this intrinsic value."
The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future Thomas Berry, New York, Three Rivers Press -- 2000
The Rights of Nature: The Case for a Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth Co-Produced by Global Exchange, Council of Canadians, Pachamama Alliance, Fundacion Pachamama -- Apr 2011
The Universe Story Thomas Berry and Brian Thomas Swimme, Harper San Francisco -- 1994
Wild Law: A Manifesto for Earth Justice (Second Edition) Cormac Cullinan, Chelsea Green Publishing - 2011
Wild Law - In Practice Edited by Michelle Maloney & Peter Burdon, Routledge -- 2014 Addressing topics that include a critique of the effectiveness of environmental law in protecting the environment, developments in domestic/constitutional law recognising the rights of nature, and the regulation of sustainability, Wild Law - In Practice is the first book to focus specifically on the practical legal implications of Earth Jurisprudence.
FILMS AND VIDEOS
Aluna The Kogi People of Columbia believe they live in order to care for the world and keep its natural order functioning. They see us plundering the world, destroying both the physical structure and the thought underpinning existence. 91 minutes. Alan Ereira -- 2012 [This film follows on a 1990 documentary by Alan Ereira called "From the Heart of the World: The Elder Brother's Warning"]