Ecuadorian Submission for Rio+20 proposes Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature
The Ecuadorian Submission to the Rio+20 process proposes, among others, an Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature, and living well as an alternative to development. Some relevant extracts:
2. New and urgent issues
17. The Conference should encourage recognition of the rights of nature, that is to say, the right to full respect for its existence, maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structures, functions and evolutionary processes. States should be urged to take precautionary measures and restrict activities that could lead to the extinction of species, the destruction of ecosystems or permanent changes to natural cycles.
18. We hereby call for a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature, as a response that would ensure that present and future generations can live well.
19. Ecuador proposes living well as an alternative to development, as a new paradigm to replace the prevailing model based on endless economic growth, which has led to overexploitation of natural resources and to poverty, inequality and exclusion of the majority of the population. Living well is a work in progress, borrowed from the ancestral knowledge of the indigenous peoples and nationalities, which involves living in harmony with oneself, nature and others to build democratic, inclusive, plurinational and multicultural States.
(…)
27. The green economy cannot be considered an alternative to sustainable development or a new model. Contemplating a “green economy” without modifying production and consumption patterns is a way of greening protectionism; the speculation that led to the crisis of the capitalist system; disregard of the rights of ancestral peoples; appropriation and privatization of environmental services; and technological dependence of developing countries.
Click here for the complete submission
Humankind has reached Globalization just like a fetus after nine months of gestation reaches its birth into the World. Many impulses push us towards Globalization, our global economy, our global communication system (Internet) our global information system yet, even if all these impulses fail in unifying us, Global Warming imposes us to answer this global and lethal threat at a global scale or disappear. We have no choice and ostrich policy unfortunatelly isn’t an option. Unfortunately, the way the leading nations answer this terrible challenge is frightening. They behave as if we had all the time we want, and decade after decade they postpone their very duty indefinitely and put their shit on the future generations. They behave as if there was no threat over Humankind’s head whatsoever, and inject more and more of the poison, CO2, that provokes Mother Earth deadly fever. Hurricanes are becoming stronger and more numerous, droughts and floods succeed one after the other at a faster rhythm, people have started to die massively because of Global Warming, but we remain blind and insensitive, all we want is more fun and more fuel for our litttle cars, and what will be the fate of our children in a near future, we absolutely don’t care about it. Very civilized indeed !!!
Patrick Ali Pahlavi