UN to give “Mother Earth” same rights as Human Beings?
By Samantha Singson | April 13, 2011
The Canadian press is reporting that a new UN draft document is seeking to give “Mother Earth” the same rights as humans.
The document is being tabled by Bolivia – which, according to the news report, just passed a new domestic law granting rights to bugs, trees and other “natural things” in the country.
The bid aims to have the UN recognize the Earth as a living entity that humans have sought to “dominate and exploit” — to the point that the “well-being and existence of many beings” is now threatened.
The wording may yet evolve, but the general structure is meant to mirror Bolivia’s Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, which Bolivian President Evo Morales enacted in January.
That document speaks of the country’s natural resources as “blessings,” and grants the Earth a series of specific rights that include rights to life, water and clean air; the right to repair livelihoods affected by human activities; and the right to be free from pollution.
It also establishes a Ministry of Mother Earth, and provides the planet with an ombudsman whose job is to hear nature’s complaints as voiced by activist and other groups, including the state.
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