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The Brazilian city of Linhares has legally recognized its waves as living beings, marking the first known time part of the ocean has been granted legal personhood.
In early August 2024, the coastal municipality passed a new law that gives the waves at the mouth of the Doce River, which runs to Brazil’s Atlantic coast, the intrinsic right to existence, regeneration, and restoration. This means the waves should continue to form naturally and their water must be clean. |
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Rappahannock Tribal Constitution Recognizes the Rights of the Rappahannock River
Through a tribal-wide vote, the Rappahannock Tribe in Virginia has become the first Tribal Nation in the U.S. to adopt a Tribal Constitution that recognizes the constitutional rights of nature.
The new Rappahannock Constitution recognizes the legally enforceable rights of the Rappahannock River to “exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve.” The Constitution also recognizes that the River possesses the right to groundwater recharge, the right to provide healthy habitat to native fish and plant species, and the right to natural water flow. It also recognizes the authority of any tribal member to enforce the rights of the Rappahannock River in court. While “rights of nature” laws recognizing the legally enforceable rights of ecosystems and species have been adopted by over three dozen municipalities and tribal governments in the U.S. – this is the first Tribal Constitution to protect the constitutional rights of a specific ecosystem. Constitutions are the highest form of written law within legal systems. |
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Nearly 60% of Ecuador’s voters supported a referendum last year to stop oil drilling in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) oil field, which would protect the nature of Yasuní National Park and its Indigenous communities, while keeping a billion barrels of oil in the ground.
People worked for a decade to bring this to a popular vote, but the nation’s current crises have shaken the government’s resolve to enforce the rule. Now, advocates are turning to a relatively new legal instrument, the ‘rights of nature,’ to cement the decision. |
Patrick Greenfield, The Guardian - June 27, 2024
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EU Votes in Favor of Landmark Nature Restoration Law
THE HAGUE (June 17, 2024) — Today, a qualified majority of the European Union Environmental Council voted in favor of the Nature Restoration Law, thereby giving the final green light to the first law of its kind in the EU – to protect and restore Europe’s forests, land, coastlines, lakes, ocean and overall biodiversity. The Nature Restoration Law aims at rehabilitating at least 20% of the European Union's land and sea areas by 2030 and all degraded ecosystems by 2050. An earlier agreement almost a year ago between the European Parliament and the Council failed to pass a final vote in March 2024.
Member states are now tasked with restoring 20% of the bloc’s land and sea by the end of the decade, focusing on natural ecosystems that will store the most carbon, and halting the decline of Europe’s rapidly vanishing biodiversity. |
The court's ruling has implications far beyond the country's borders.
© Provided by The Cool Down |
Court stuns the world with historic ruling on the rights of river:
'A transcendental milestone' A March 20, 2024 article by Katie Surma in Inside Climate News reports that a river in Peru now officially has legal rights to "exist, flow, and be free from pollution."
The Nauta provincial court in Peru's Loreto region ruled that the Marañón River, which flows from the Andes Mountains to the Amazon River, possesses its own inherent rights. This is the first time the nation has recognized an ecosystem's legal rights. It also includes a provision describing Indigenous organizations as responsible for serving as the river's guardians and defenders. |
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Visit with Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer - A Voice for the Rights of Nature
A member of our core team, Dr. William Van Lopik, has been honored to meet with Dr. Kimmerer, author of Braiding Sweetgrass, at her home and at an event at
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. This past March 19 Dr. Kimmerer spoke to a packed house at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Dr. Van Lopik was invited to the event by the College of Menominee Nation along with other members of the Indigenous Peoples Allies Group from First Congregational UCC of Appleton.
Another of our core team members, Phil Gabrielson, has written these reflections on the UW-Oshkosh event.
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Photo courtesy Phil Gabrielson
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A Win for Wisconsin’s Wetlands: SB 222 Passes, Empowers Local Governments to Restore Wetlands
Across Wisconsin, birds need wetlands to thrive. Last week, the Wisconsin legislature unanimously passed SB 222, a big bipartisan victory for Wisconsin’s wetlands and the birds that depend on them! It’s now headed to Governor Evers’ desk for his signature.
As the first state program of its kind, SB 222 will provide funding to encourage local governments to restore and conserve wetlands and undertake other proactive strategies before flooding events occur. |
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Great Lakes tribes’ knowledge of nature could be key to climate change.
Will people listen? The Indigenous communities that call this region home have been practicing good land stewardship and sharing that message with others. But for too long, that message hasn't been heard.The tribes hold thousands of years of expertise. They believe their traditional ecological knowledge is critical to safeguarding resources and cleaning up the land, air and water for everyone. And they're keenly aware that our relationship with nature is at one of the most critical junctures in history.
Michael Regan, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, acknowledged to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network, that the agency has "room for improvement" when it comes to safeguarding tribal resources. Engaging with tribal leaders is a top priority, he said, and the EPA is hosting listening sessions and hoping to strengthen relationships.
Symbolic progress was made just last month when Milwaukee County became the first county in the state to pass a "rights of nature" resolution. The effort is part of a global movement grounded in Indigenous knowledge and aimed at making sure human activities do not interfere with the health of land and waterways. |
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Wisconsin Farmers Union approves Rights of Nature policy
On December 10 2023, at the annual convention of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, the body approved without dissent the rights of nature and inserted it as part of the organization's policy.
"...Wisconsin Farmers Union recognizes and respects that nature is a living ecosystem with inherent rights that should be protected by law. The value of the natural world does not derive only from its usefulness or economic benefit and not just as a “resource” that can be owned, used, and even destroyed...."
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Story by Kailey Thompson
Good Good Good, 10-December-2023 |
Cody Two Bears, a member of the Sioux tribe in North Dakota, founded Indigenized Energy, a native-led energy company with a unique mission - installing solar farms for tribal nations in the United States. His company, Indigenized Energy, addresses a critical issue faced by many reservations: poverty and lack of access to basic power.
Reservations are among the poorest communities in the country, and in some, like the Navajo Nation, many homes lack electricity. Renewable energy, specifically solar power, is a beacon of hope for tribes seeking to overcome these challenges.
Not only does it present an environmentally sustainable option, but it has become the most cost-effective form of energy globally, thanks in part to incentives like the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. |
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Milwaukee County is first in Wisconsin to pass 'rights of nature' resolution
Wisconsin Public Radio - 27-October-2023
Milwaukee County is the first county in Wisconsin to pass a "Rights of Nature" resolution aimed at ensuring "human activities do not interfere with nature and its ability to be healthy, robust and resilient."
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Milwaukee County passes 'Rights of Nature' resolution for environment
FOX6 Milwaukee News - 27-October-2023
On Friday, Oct. 27, Milwaukee County became the first in Wisconsin to pass the "Rights of Nature" resolution. It argues the environment should have the same rights as people.
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Milwaukee is first county in Wisconsin to endorse 'Rights of Nature' movement
WTMJ TV Local News - 30-October-2023
Milwaukee County is the first county in Wisconsin to endorse the 'Rights of Nature' movement. It's a global movement that is backed by indigenous tribes in Wisconsin. On Friday, County Executive David Crowley signed a Resolution to officially endorse the movement.
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Milwaukee Is First County To Recognize "Rights of Nature”
Urban Milwaukee article - 27-October-2023
County Executive Crowley signs resolution, backed by Native American tribes. The author of the resolution, Sup. Liz Sumner, noted that the county’s resolution specifically recognizes that bodies of water in Milwaukee County are “integral and essential” to the local environment.
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Sharks and turtles now have legal rights in the Loyalty Islands region of New Caledonia
LeMonde - 6-October-2023
Sharks and sea turtles as legal subjects and whose interests can be defended by lawyers? Such is the new reality in the Loyalty Islands, one of the three provinces that make up New Caledonia
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‘We can’t drink oil’:
How a 70-year-old pipeline imperils the Great Lakes The Guardian - 26-September-2023
Tribes say Line 5 is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for the Great Lakes, which contain a fifth of the Earth’s surface fresh water, and risks destroying their relationship with land and water
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What are the Rights of Nature?
The Natural Realm Blog - 19-September-2023
The Rights of Nature movement seeks to gain legal recognition for the rights of the natural world to:
Full Blog - article by core team members: David Liners and Robert Karski
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Supervisors Support ‘Rights of Nature’ Policy
Milwaukee board is first in state to endorse the movement. Urban Milwaukee article - 12-September-2023
Update --- The Milwaukee County Board Committee agreed Thursday (Sept 21) that natural areas and systems should be viewed as having a right to exist.
The Committee on Community, Environment and Economic Development recommended the resolution, making it the board’s policy to support the “Rights of Nature” movement. |
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Countries are starting to give wild animals legal rights
The Washington Post Climate Solutions article - 26-August-2023
A law passed by the Panama's National Assembly earlier this year guarantees sea turtles the right to thrive in a healthy environment, a protection until now typically reserved for humans.
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Calls to Action regarding plans to transfer
Kohler Andrea State Park land Friends of the Black River Forest newsletter 28-August-2023
Join the Wisconsin Chapter-Sierra Club in petitioning the Kohler Company to reconsider its plans to bulldoze its 247 acres of land along Lake Michigan and acres of Kohler Andrae State Park for its 5th championship course in Sheboygan County
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Community news from Shepherd Express staff 16-August-2023
Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin Allocates $4.3 Million to Address Water Challenges The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin has announced the allocation of over $4.3 million in funding for a series of projects aimed at tackling Wisconsin's pressing water issues. These initiatives will not only advance research and training opportunities for high school and undergraduate students, but also offer solutions to the state's critical water concerns.
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News item by Sierra Clark, Native News Online 30-June-2023Native American Water Native American Water Protectors Assaulted During Enbridge Lecture at Northern Michigan College
Full Article |
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Press release from Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin - 23-June-2023
After a Long Campaign, Menominee Site Listed on National Register of Historic Places The Menominee Tribe is extremely happy to learn that its nomination to have the Sixty Islands or Anaem Omot (Dog’s Belly) area in Wisconsin and Michigan be added to the National Register of Historic Places was approved. This recognizes critical burial and historic sites at the place of our origin.
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Message from Winona LaDuke - 24-June-2023
Northern Minnesota Giiwedinong cultural center and museum taking form Greetings from the heart of the 1855 Treaty Territory in northern Minnesota where a new cultural center and treaty rights museum is being born, Giiwedinong. Giiwedinong will be a destination location for all interested in the history of this land, settler and native agreements, treaties, and the waters. We will feature both historic exhibits and emerging artists for our youth, elders and communities. . |
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News article by Liz Kimbrough - 31-March 2023
Ecuador court upholds ‘rights of nature,’ blocks Intag Valley copper mine Community members in Ecuador’s Intag Valley have won a court case to stop the Llurimagua copper mining project, with the court ordering the revocation of mining licenses from Chile’s Codelco and Ecuador’s ENAMI EP.
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IPCC Press Release - 20-March 2023
Urgent climate action can securee a liveable future for all There are multiple, feasible and effective options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change, and they are available now, said scientists in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report released today.
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