Is it possible for the entire modern civilization to ban together and pledge equal rights for Mother Nature? No, but keep reading! The design of the current economic system oppresses the poor. This has driven them to degrade giant swaths of protected land. As a result, deforestation is one of the biggest issues in dry, arid and poor countries. They have a choice to either expand a harvest or risk starving their family. So the choice becomes clear. Economic systems that pay farmers pennies a day have no rights. They are slaves that work every day to make a measly $200.00 a year.
Human rights are the basic freedom that belongs to every person. They’re shared human values which include dignity, fairness, respect, equality, and independence. However, there are forces in this world that don’t believe in rights. That is to say, there is a twisted vortex of greed, hate, sickness, and blatant disregard. It’s destroying the rights of hard-working people. Injustice and inhumane treatment have hurt not only humans but also the natural world.
Will it ever stop? It’s not an exaggeration when I say this is a question that millions perhaps billions of people ask! The unequal treatment of whole ecosystems is one of today’s biggest issues. It is society’s biggest social problem. It’s rooted in history so it will not be easy to change. There are thousands of tribes with different customs, religions, and beliefs. So, it seems near impossible to fix the racial biases that shape the world today. Colonialism has made the largest impact on human rights.
Colonialism vs Egalitarian
Today’s leaders seek a policy to govern the rights over people, territories, and things. This economic dominance so far has created a climate catastrophe. We cannot respect nature if there is rampant inequality. But, we do have it within ourselves to protect nature. There is a way of life that predates our modern state. These people are the hunter-gatherers, the more natural or Egalitarian people. They believe in governing with equal political, economic and social rights.
The core beliefs of a family represent mutual respect and fair treatment of one another. Respect that lays the foundation required for equality. Family members identify themselves as having the same social and economic caliber. All that’s needed is equality and education for stewardship to become a core value in the family system. Stewardship has long term benefits for social and economic order. It’s important to realize that it’s in the best interest of families, social order, and future generations. It’s in the best interest of Mother nature.
Mother Nature’s rights
There is an Egalitarian Tribal family that has sought to make a positive impact. It’s a change that will protect the rights of a natural ecosystem. In 2017 a tribe from New Zealand has changed the way people can treat a River. The Maori Tribe from the North Island won legal rights for the third-largest River in New Zealand. The legislature awarded them a victory because their case was strong. Instead of managing the river the law will now treat the river as an entity. The rights of the river are the same as the tribes. So for instance, fines and prosections will be given to those who dump or overfish. The law will try the offender with the same laws as an entity. The incredible process was the longest litigation in the country’s history.
The tribe’s core value recognizes the genealogy of the human race. As a matter of fact, molecules that form our bodies come from the Universe. So, rather us being a master of the natural world we are apart of it. This legal win will allow the Tribe to build a framework of the river’s new life. They say it is not an anti-development or anti-economic framework. But a core belief about how the future life of the river will run. This connection to the natural world runs deep with Indigenous people. The livelihood and general well being of future generations rely on the health of the river.
Work in progress
Something other than a person having human rights is an established idea. The definition of a “legal personality” is a common corporate practice. It distinguishes the legal obligations of the directors and shareholders. So, the theory is practiced in modern business. Once in effect the people, legislature and corporations must take it seriously. Advocate Mumta Ito, believes the current system is programmed for self-destruction. The legal system is the enabler.
“the only way we’ll be able to change things is to create a new operating system with nature’s rights at its core.”
mumta Ito founder of Nature’s Rights
However, the lives of those that live in a city or suburb don’t have the same connection to the environment. The desensitization of society’s polluting way has created a climate catastrophe. A lawyer named Neil Howlett says if this law is passed outside the cultural basis it will not work. Skeptics say dedicating personhood is an act of desperation to save a river. Regardless, indigenous Hunter-gatherers like the Maori tribe will steward the rights of mother nature. Co-existing conditions such as peaceful relations and the right to do business are however necessary. Indigenous people around the world should not be oppressed. Corporate greed and disregard for human rights can not offer us the change we need.
You can make a difference when it seems impossible. Mother nature needs your help.
Here is a list of things you can do to help.
Talk to family members: Give back to Nature. Often families look for ways to make quality time. Cleaning up a beach, garden, do your own juicing, plant a tree. There are many ways to bond and do good for the Planet.
Bake your own cookies: The palm oil that manufacturers use is devastating the Amazon rain forest’s habitats.
Buy Fairtrade Chocolate: This program is designed to give locals (farmers) and their families sustainable incomes and working conditions.
Support initiatives led by Indigenous Tribes or support a non-profit advocacy group.
