Pretty Heady Stuff
Jessica den Outer and Shauna Doll dig into the growing certainty that Nature has Rights
Jessica den Outer is an expert in environmental law who advocates globally for the Rights of Nature. Since 2017, she’s been consulted and has spoken for institutions like the UN and Harvard. She founded the NGO ‘Stichting Rechten van de Natuur’ and has received numerous awards for her pioneering work. Shauna Doll works to control invasive species in the Halifax Regional Municipality and is a frequent author on environmental issues. There are a lot of them, and the number is growing. What is going on and what methods work to slow crisis down, halt them where possible and manage their impact? How can the rights of nature work as a framework for shifting the ways we value and devalue the world around us Jessica's book The Forest Fights Back gives us an opportunity to discuss a potent source of resistance and coalition-building: the idea that nature has inherent rights that need to be respected. From Pluto Press: "As the world grapples with the escalating climate crisis, ecosystems are collapsing, and the planet’s future hangs in the balance. For centuries, our legal systems have treated nature as something to be owned and exploited, but a bold new movement is challenging this paradigm. In The Forest Fights Back , Jessica den Outer explores a groundbreaking global movement—Rights of Nature—taking on the legal system to recognise the rights of rivers, forests, and mountains to exist, flourish, and sustain their ecological balance. From the fight for the Whanganui River in New Zealand to the battle for Spain’s Mar Menor lagoon, den Outer highlights the campaigns led by grassroots communities, telling stories of determination and legal ingenuity. This movement goes beyond law – it represents a cultural shift that could reshape how we live, think, co-exist and advocate for nature."
