International Environmental Policy

Can the rights of nature provide answers to the climate crisis and loss of biodiversity? This report on the international workshop on the rights of nature in February 2024 highlights how this concept challenges the human-nature relationship and is gaining importance as a tool for protecting ecosystems and biodiversity.

More and more voices are calling for rights of nature – but how can these be meaningfully designed and implemented? Seven key points outline what the path to 'ecological law' in Germany and internationally could look like.

Indigenous and local communities have preserved traditions for harmonious coexistence between humans and nature for thousands of years. Recognising the "Rights of Nature" offers a modern approach to integrating this wisdom into environmental protection and shaping a more sustainable future.

Can rivers and forests have their own rights? The Rights of Nature movement advocates for recognizing ecosystems as legal entities to more effectively prevent environmental damage. But what does this mean for our legal systems, our understanding of nature, and potential conflicts? A global perspective on visions, debates, and practical approaches.

In the Anthropocene, humans have become the central force shaping nature – with profound consequences. How can the relationship between humans and nature be reimagined? Could granting ecosystems and nature their own rights offer a solution to the challenges of this epoch?

Movements such as Earth Jurisprudence, Wild Law, and Rights of Nature call for a paradigm shift: instead of seeing nature as a resource, ecosystems and their members should be granted their own rights.

Countless scientists and experts have warned that solar geoengineering would give emitters an excuse not to end their fossil-fuel addictions and cause far-reaching unintended consequences.

Major industry players are working together to create a voluntary global standard that can certify minerals as responsibly produced. But such a framework would consolidate the power and influence of these mining giants and allow them to act with impunity.

For 29 years, youth groups have been calling for immediate solutions to climate change yet wealthy nations are locked in golden towers counting coins as the world warms up! 

COP29 was expected to deliver a global goal for climate finance that meets the challenges of the future. It failed to do so. Instead, it launched international carbon markets that create new loopholes for fossil fuel emitters.