Twitter photo of Barlow speaking today by Damien Short.
Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke today at an International Rights of Nature Tribunal in Paris.
More than 500 people were in attendance for this event.
The Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature website had noted that the tribunal would convene “parallel to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on December 4-5, 2015. …The Tribunal uses the emerging field of Earth Laws to hear and decide cases brought to it. Earth Laws includes laws recognizing the Rights of Nature, as stated in the Universal Declaration for the Rights of Mother Earth, the crime of Ecocide and the laws of the commons.”
Today, Barlow tweeted:
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Opening ceremony of the International Tribunal on the Rights of Nature, Paris. Deeply moving. -
Pablo Solon accuses governments and energy corporations of crimes against the climate for ignoring science -
Canada’s Pat Mooney testifies on the danger of bio engineering-driven carbon capture and storage as a “solution” -
Just finished my testimony on crimes against water. Very concerned and engaged judges and large audience.
And the International Rights of Nature Tribunal posted part of Barlow’s testimony on their Facebook page:
“Displacing water from where it belongs to where we want it is a major cause of climate chaos unrecognized by many scientists and environmentalists alike. This practice is also destroying whole water systems. Over half the major rivers in China have disappeared. By destroying forests and wetlands, we destroy the lungs and kidneys of our watersheds. Since 1900, the planet has lost two thirds of its wetlands. Every minute, 36 football fields of trees are clear cut. These are crimes against the rights of nature.”
The Tribunal includes internationally renowned lawyers and moral leaders and hears cases about climate change, fracking and genetically modified organisms. It then makes recommendations about Earth’s protection and restoration. A full list of the expert witnesses and judges can be found here.
The Paris International Rights of Nature Tribunal was hosted by the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, in partnership with End Ecocide on Earth and NaturesRights.
A 3-minute video explaining more about the Tribunal can be seen here.
