It’s not just humans who have rights, all beings do. The right not to be polluted is a right that belongs to us as well as to the Earth, to the air we breathe and to future generations. There are other rights which apply to us all, the problem is that they are not yet recognised internationally. But this is rapidly changing and you can find more information about the campaigns and progress of this fast developing arena of humanitarian and environmental law, called Earth Law.

The above picture illustrates two very different approaches to how we view life. One way is to view our world as a thing which we can use without consequence; to impose a monetary value so we can buy and sell and cause damage and destruction if we so wish.

Another way is to uphold the intrinsic value of the Earth. When we do that, we no longer put profit first: instead of simply imposing a price on our ecosystems we impose a legal duty of care. When we value life itself we take responsibility for our planet and all who live here: we replace “I own” with “we owe a legal duty of care”. Earth Law is a new body of ecological justice that is being created which is based on trusteeship principles, not property laws.