Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Bolivia Set to Pass Historic 'Law of Mother Earth' Which Will Grant Nature Equal Rights to Humans

You read that right-Bolivia plans to grant Mother Nature the same rights as humans.
With the cooperation of politicians and grassroots organizations, Bolivia is set to pass the Law of Mother Earth which will grant nature the same rights and protections as humans. The piece of legislation, called la Ley de Derechos de la Madre Tierra, is intended to encourage a radical shift in conservation attitudes and actions, to enforce new control measures on industry, and to reduce environmental destruction.
The law redefines natural resources as blessings and confers the same rights to nature as to human beings, including: the right to life and to exist; the right to continue vital cycles and processes free from human alteration; the right to pure water and clean air; the right to balance; the right not to be polluted; and the right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered. Perhaps the most controversial point is the right "to not be affected by mega-infrastructure and development projects that affect the balance of ecosystems and the local inhabitant communities".
It's an interesting idea, but I can foresee some major problems arising from this. For example the "right to not have cellular structure modified or genetically altered" would mean genetically modified crops, which might become necessary if humans continue proliferating at the rate that we do, would be out of the question. Also, if we're going to treat her as a person, does that mean we can hold her responsible for all the destruction she causes?

Full Article Here

1 comment:

Ella said...

Wow this is very interesting! I really like how they are putting all living things on the same footing, an ant has the right to live and to exist just as humans do. Definitely some foreseeable issues, but this is a huge step in changing how people view nature. Awesome.