On November 26, a coalition of civil society organizations and law professors submitted an amicus brief to Ecuador’s Constitutional Court calling for the protection of the Piatúa River based on the Rights of Nature and Indigenous rights. The Piatúa River is under threat from a hydroelectric project that Ecuador’s government approved without the free, prior, and informed … [Read more...]
Enlightened self-interest needed to protect the ocean and climate
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Crysophere in a Changing Climate reveals the extent of the crisis facing humanity as the ocean and its services begin to show signs of collapse. Although the ocean is inextricably linked with the climate, the two working together to make planet Earth habitable, this is the first time that … [Read more...]
82% of marine ecosystems not well managed
Oceans cover 70% of the Earth's surface, yet less than 1% of these critical systems are under any form of legal protection. The Convention on Biological Diversity's Global Biodiversity Outlook indicates that the world's marine ecosystems are in peril. Along southern Africa's east coast, the dugong is one marine mammal in urgent need of protection. If we do not act … [Read more...]
Too late for biodiversity?
I don't like to spread bad news - I prefer to inspire people. But some things need to be said, else we are simply keeping our heads in the sand. The hard truth can also be liberating - and it seems we need liberation from our own ways. Something everyone needs to know is what impact humans have had on our planet's biodiversity over the past 40 years. What happened to other … [Read more...]