Protect Mother Earth: A Global Call to Action

@masterraalkivictorieux Master Ra’al Ki Victorieux

Listen to this call to adopt a Universal Declaration to protect the planet and ensure a sustainable future for all. #RightsOfMotherEarth #ClimateChange #Sustainability https://wp.me/p3JLEZ-9xw

Da click aquí para leer la versión en español: Derechos de la Madre Tierra

Protecting the Rights of the Planet: A Call to Action

In the 21st century, it is imperative to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and nature. Just as World War II prompted the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, the current climate crisis demands the adoption of a Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth. The evident ecological crisis, including global warming, underlines the interdependence between human beings, other species, and Mother Earth, claiming a balance and mutual respect. It is inconceivable to ignore the rights of Mother Earth in the 21st century, making it crucial to promote and implement these rights through progressive measures at a global level. This call to action seeks to transform the structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth, ensuring a sustainable future for all.

World Conference of the Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth

The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth (UDRME) was adopted in 2010 by representatives of 130 nations at the World Conference of the Peoples on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, convened in Bolivia after many concerns regarding the disappointing outcomes of the 2009 Copenhagen climate negotiations. Just as the UN recognized that human rights arise from existence, the UDRME found that “the inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable in that they arise from the same source as existence.” Like the UDHR, the UDRME defends the entity holding rights (nature and its elements) from the excesses of governing authorities. These rights include, among others, the recognition that “Mother Earth and all beings that make it up have… the right to life and to exist,” as well as the “right to holistic health.” The UDRME adds that “[e]very being has the right to a place and to play its role in Mother Earth for its harmonious functioning.”

Just as the rights protected by the UDHR are enforceable by the right to an effective remedy by competent national courts, the UDRME specifically requires that human beings and their institutions “recognize and promote the full implementation and compliance with the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration.” The UDRME addresses enforcement by requiring that “damages caused by human violations of inherent rights” be “rectified,” with those responsible “held accountable.” Additionally, it calls on States to “empower human beings and institutions to defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings.”

Bolivia’s President Evo Morales urged then-UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to make the adoption of UDRME by the UN a priority. While that recommendation is still pending, since then the UDRME has served to inform other international and national efforts, such as a 2012 resolution by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) proposing a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature. The incorporation of the Rights of Nature was adopted at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii in 2016.

Special Declaration for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

The following declaration was published by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America:

1. In the 21st century, it is impossible to fully achieve human rights defense without simultaneously recognizing and defending the rights of Mother Earth and nature. Only by guaranteeing the rights of Mother Earth can we ensure the defense of human rights. The planet can exist without human life, but human beings cannot exist without the planet.
2. Just as World War II caused a severe crisis for humanity that led to the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, we are now suffering from the serious consequences of the climate crisis that makes it essential to have a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth.
3. The ecological crisis, of which global warming is a part, is clearly showing an essential principle that has been defended for millennia by indigenous peoples around the world: that human beings are part of an interdependent system of plants, animals, mountains, forests, oceans, and air that requires our respect and care. This system is what we call Mother Earth. “The land does not belong to man; rather, man belongs to the land.” The earth is not a collection of things that we can appropriate; it is a collection of natural beings with whom we must learn to coexist in harmony and balance, respecting their rights.
4. The notion that only human beings have rights generates an increasing imbalance in the entire system by allowing for the violation of the rights of other natural beings. There are differences between human beings and other members of Mother Earth that must be taken into account in a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth.
5. It is inconceivable and unacceptable that in the 21st century we do not recognize the rights of Mother Earth that gives us life.
6. The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth must recognize, among others:
   • 6.1 The right to life, meaning the right to exist. Every ecosystem, animal or plant species, glacier, river, or lake has the right to exist without being threatened by human activities, whose rights end when they threaten the survival of Mother Earth, breaking the balance and coexistence with nature.
   • 6.2 The right to regenerate its biocapacity and vital cycles. If human beings consume and waste more than Mother Earth can replenish or recreate, then we are suffocating the Planet, all living beings, and ourselves.
   • 6.3 The right to a healthy environment, meaning the right of Mother Earth, rivers, fish, animals, trees to live, like human beings, free from contamination, poisoning, and intoxication.
   • 6.4 The right to harmony and balance between all and everything. It is the right to be recognized as part of a system of which we are all interdependent. There are millions of living species on the planet, but only human beings have the awareness and ability to control our own actions to promote harmony with nature.
7. For the full realization of the rights of Mother Earth, States will apply precautionary and restrictive measures for activities that may lead to extinction of species, destruction of ecosystems, or permanent alteration of natural cycles.
8. The fact that natural beings cannot directly exercise the defense of their rights does not deprive them of their exercise. Just as society and the State assume the defense of the rights of children and those unable to do so, they must similarly promote, defend, and uphold the rights of Mother Earth. It is the responsibility of the United Nations to promote and ensure the rights of Mother Earth globally.
9. The Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth must be promoted within the framework of the United Nations as a common ideal for which all peoples and nations must strive, so that individuals and institutions, constantly inspired by it, promote, through teaching and education, respect for these rights and ensure, through prompt and progressive national and international measures, their universal and effective recognition and application among all peoples and States of the World.

Draft Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth

Preamble

We, the peoples of the Earth:

Considering that we are all part of Mother Earth, a vital, indivisible community of interdependent and interconnected beings with a common destiny;

Recognizing that the capitalist system and all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse, and pollution have caused great destruction, degradation, and alteration to Mother Earth, putting life as we know it at risk due to phenomena such as climate change;

Convinced that in a community of independent life, it is not possible to recognize rights only for human beings without causing an imbalance in Mother Earth;

Affirming that to guarantee human rights it is necessary to recognize and defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings that make it up, and that cultures, practices, and laws exist that do so;

Aware of the urgency of taking decisive collective action to transform the structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth;

We proclaim this Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth and call upon the United Nations General Assembly to adopt it as a common purpose for all the peoples and nations of the world, so that individuals and institutions take responsibility for promoting through teaching, education, and awareness, respect for these rights recognized in this Declaration, and ensuring through prompt and progressive national and international measures, their universal and effective recognition and application, among all peoples and States of the World.

Article 1: Mother Earth

1. Mother Earth is a living being.
2. Mother Earth is a unique, indivisible, and self-regulated community of interrelated beings that sustains, contains, and reproduces all beings that compose it.
3. Each being is defined by its relationships as an integral part of Mother Earth.
4. The inherent rights of Mother Earth are inalienable as they derive from the same source of existence.
5. Mother Earth and all beings that compose it are entitled to all the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration without distinction of any kind, such as between organic and inorganic beings, species, origin, use for human beings, or any other status.
6. Just as human beings have human rights, all other beings of Mother Earth also have rights specific to their condition and suitable for their role and function within the communities in which they exist.
7. The rights of each being are limited by the rights of other beings, and any conflict between their rights must be resolved in a way that maintains the integrity, balance, and health of Mother Earth.

Article 2: Inherent Rights of Mother Earth

1. Mother Earth and all beings that compose it have the following inherent rights:
   • 1. Right to life and to exist;
   • 2. Right to be respected;
   • 3. Right to regenerate its biocapacity and continue its vital cycles and processes free from human alterations;
   • 4. Right to maintain its identity and integrity as differentiated, self-regulated, and interrelated beings;
   • 5. Right to water as a source of life;
   • 6. Right to clean air;
   • 7. Right to holistic health;
   • 8. Right to be free from contamination, pollution, and toxic or radioactive waste;
   • 9. Right not to be genetically altered or modified in its structure, threatening its integrity or vital and healthy functioning;
   • 10. Right to full and prompt restoration for violations of the rights recognized in this Declaration caused by human activities.
2. Each being has the right to a place and to play its role in Mother Earth for its harmonious functioning.
3. All beings have the right to wellbeing and to live free from torture or cruel treatment by human beings.

Article 3: Obligations of Human Beings towards Mother Earth

All human beings are responsible for respecting and living in harmony with Mother Earth;

1. All human beings, all States, and all public and private institutions must:
   • 1. Act according to the rights and obligations recognized in this Declaration;
   • 2. Recognize and promote the full application and implementation of the rights and obligations established in this Declaration;
   • 3. Promote and participate in the learning, analysis, interpretation, and communication of how to live in harmony with Mother Earth according to this Declaration;
   • 4. Ensure that the pursuit of human wellbeing contributes to the wellbeing of Mother Earth, now and in the future.
   • 5. Establish and effectively apply norms and laws for the defense, protection, and conservation of the Rights of Mother Earth.
   • 6. Respect, protect, conserve, and where necessary restore the integrity of the vital cycles, processes, and balances of Mother Earth;
   • 7. Guarantee that damages caused by human violations of the inherent rights recognized in this Declaration are rectified and that those responsible are held accountable to restore the integrity and health of Mother Earth.
   • 8. Empower human beings and institutions to defend the rights of Mother Earth and all beings that compose it;
   • 9. Establish precautionary and restrictive measures to prevent human activities from leading to the extinction of species, the destruction of ecosystems, or the alteration of ecological cycles;
   • 10. Ensure peace and eliminate nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons;
   • 11. Promote and support practices of respect towards Mother Earth and all beings that compose it, in accordance with their own cultures, traditions, and customs;
   • 12. Promote economic systems in harmony with Mother Earth and in accordance with the rights recognized in this Declaration.

Article 4: Definitions

1. The term “being” includes ecosystems, natural communities, species, and all other natural entities that exist as part of Mother Earth.

Nothing in this Declaration shall restrict the recognition of other inherent rights of all beings or of any particular being.

Conclusion

The call to adopt a Universal Declaration to protect the planet and ensure a sustainable future for all is an urgent necessity in the 21st century. Just as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights emerged after World War II, the current climate crisis demands a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. This Declaration seeks to transform the structures and systems that cause climate change and other threats to Mother Earth, ensuring a sustainable future for all humanity. It is crucial that everyone joins together to promote and implement these rights through progressive measures at the global level. Let us act now to defend the rights of Mother Earth and secure a sustainable future for generations to come!

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