Polly Higgins is a barrister who one day realized that there is such a thing as crime against the Earth – Ecocide. She’s an interesting person and gives a really great speech.
You can see the video just below my notes here;
- not just people, “the Earth has also been badly injured and harmed”
- “my next thought changed my life – the Earth is in need of a good lawyer”
- “what if the Earth had rights?”
- a vast number of mostly indigenous people already think this way
- “Ecocide” was one of those light-bulb moments
- expand area of concern from “human life” to “all life”
- she has submitted a legal proposal to the United Nations
- the legal words include “inhabitants” – not just people
- recognition of the interconnectedness of life itself (reminiscent of The Miracle of Mindfulness)
- greenhouse gases is one outcome of causing mass damage and destruction
- naturally occurring ecocide? floods, storms, etc. – legal duty of care to be imposed on all nations – governments won’t be able to turn a blind eye
- “create a system of making decisions based on prioritizing people and planet first”
- “closing the door to dangerous industrial activity”
- view the Earth as a living being rather than as property
- see ourselves as trustees, as guardians
- she draws an interesting parallel with the eradication of slavery – same comments being made today related to the environment
- “not about closing down big industry – it’s about making the problem part of the solution”
- sacred trust of civilization
- Ecocide is a crime against future generations
- Profits are good if they affirm life as well
- currently it is the law for companies to put profits first and maximize profits for the shareholders
- a law of Ecocide would supersede this and impose acceptable boundaries that must be maintained
Leave a Reply