Rights of Nature with United Church of Christ Pastor

“It’s time for us as a religious community—and we would be the first Christian polity to say this: that Nature has rights.”

Tish O’Dell of the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund joins Rev. Dr. Robert Shore-Goss of the United Church of Christ for a conversation about the Rights of Nature.

Shore-Goss and his colleagues are in the beginning stages of working to advance support for Rights of Nature, within the United Church of Christ.

“It’s time for us as a religious community—and we would be the first Christian polity to say this: that Nature has rights,” Shore-Goss said.

The webinar explores Rights of Nature’s challenge to colonial logics of superiority and privatization, and features a presentation by O’Dell on Rights of Nature movement building and the ongoing repercussions of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights campaign.

We’re talking about “a shift of power, in who gets to be involved in making decisions and making laws,” said O’Dell.

Rights of Nature provides a new legal framework that redefines our relationship with Nature, recognizing life-sustaining systems that support all life. Rights of Nature values stewardship over ownership, but the legal changes we seek will require deep cultural changes as well.

Nature and people are not disposable. Rights of Nature creates a new dialogue around issues of environmental racism, social justice, and environmental rights. Join us as we uphold and advance the Rights of Nature – in western law and culture.