We're still treating a living, life-sustaining, crucial being as property: the ecosystem. And in the process, we’re choking our own habitat—that is to say, ourselves—to death. This article by Robert C. Koehler was published on Common Dreams on October 10th, 2019. "When the U.S. Constitution was ratified, women, indigenous peoples, and slaves were treated as [...]
This article by Matthew Green was published in Reuters on September 10, 2019. FROME, England (Reuters) - Nobody knows exactly how ancient masons, wielding chisels made from deer antlers, managed to build Stonehenge, the standing circle that has enchanted southern England for thousands of years. But one theory about the epic undertaking reserves a special [...]
This blog post by Susan Shaw, Solicitor & Founder Living Law, was posted on the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund's website on September 6th, 2019. Editor’s Note: CELDF is pleased to present a guest blog from our partner Susan Shaw, a solicitor and founder of Living Law, in Scotland. We have been engaging with groups [...]
This letter to the editor by Sol Solomon appeared in the Concord Monitor on September 5th, 2019. The natural world is under siege. Rather than heed the dire warning signs staring them in the face, those who ravage the Earth’s resources are stepping up their efforts. They are in a frenzy to wrest every drop [...]
We The People are like hamsters on the wheel, running endlessly, but rarely if ever gaining ground. Does the following scenario seem all too familiar to you? Your city/county/state has scheduled a public hearing to ascertain public opinion on a proposed corporate development that will dramatically impact the health, safety and welfare of your human and other [...]
This editorial by David D'Amato was published in The Hill on August 29th, 2019. Earlier this month, a group of 181 CEOs, including those of many of the country’s largest and most influential companies, signed a statement signaling commitment to the betterment of society and to “an economy that serves all Americans.” This short “Statement on the [...]
This editorial by Chad Nicholson was published in Penn Live on August 21, 2019. Recently, the Pennsylvania State Legislature undermined the discretion of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner. In July language was slipped into the state budget to give the office of Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro powers to circumvent Krasner’s discretion in prosecuting gun laws. Backlash [...]
From preventing toxic algae blooms to banning aerial pesticide spraying, the fight for local control over environmental decisions elevates the rights of nature as a key step in the larger community rights movement. This article by Valerie Vande Panne appeared in Next City on August 12, 2019. I've been following articles and news updates on [...]
Time to place the rights of nature at the heart of a new Irish constitution This blog post by Dr Peter Doran, School of Law, Queens University Belfast, Mari Margil, Associate Director, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund, appeared on #Think32 on August 11th, 2019. On the evening of 6th August, An Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar TD, [...]
A recent federal court ruling in favor of a cellphone radiation disclosure law for the City of Berkeley highlights the tug-of-war between states and municipalities as state lawmakers increasingly block local democracy for the benefit of corporations. This article by Ben Price was published on Truthout July 31st, 2019. In 2015, the City of Berkeley, [...]
