CategoryEnvironment
“Indigenous Wisdom” Would Make Environment Science Less Scientific
Indigenous people were and are keen observers of nature but modern environment policy needs to be deeply rooted in science as well as culture
New Zealand Mountain Named a Person with Rights, Responsibilities
And what responsibilities can the mountain possibly assume? Can it be sued for an avalanche?
High UN Official Supports Nature Rights and Environmental Lawfare
Nature doesn't really go to court. People with political agendas do
NYT Column: Factory Farms Are Good for People and the Planet
Journalist Michael Grunwald points out that factory farming means fewer natural spaces are cleared for farmland than would otherwise be the case
Voters Grant Rights to a River in Everett, Washington
Scientific certainty about potential damage to the river need not even be demonstratedThis article is reprinted from National Review with the permission of the author. More than 30 U.S. cities have adopted nature rights ordinances, mostly to prevent fracking. And now in the recent election, 57 percent of voters in Everett, Wash., granted rights to a geological feature, specifically, the Snohomish River watershed. From the initiative: The Snohomish River Watershed possesses the rights to exist, regenerate, and flourish, which shall include the right to naturally recharge, the right to naturally flow, the right to water quality necessary to provide habitat for native plants and animals, the right to provide clean water, and the right to restoration. The Snohomish River Watershed shall also have the right to be free from activities or projects which violate those rights. This is Read More ›
World Economic Forum Pushes Forest Rights
Nature isn’t a being. It doesn’t possess “wisdom.” Only people doThis article is reprinted from National Review with the permission of the author. Our betters among the elites are increasingly embracing nature rights and its derivatives. Latest example: An editorial published by the World Economic Forum pushes “forest rights.” The Earth is burning and the fault is — ta-da! — capitalism! From, “Reimagining Capitalism — Giving Forests Legal Rights“: Capitalism, of course has, in many aspects, brought about incredible progress. Industrialization and globalization have propelled advances in life expectancy, education, and social welfare. But does this narrative still hold true? For the first time, GDP diverges from well-being indices in many nations. This exposes a system that not only engineers its own demise, but threatens humanity and the natural environment. Read More ›
Fighting for the Rights of . . . Antarctica?
Environmentalism is growing increasingly irrational. Advocates are now pushing to give rights to a continent
When Dogs and Pet Pigs Both Heard Humans Cry, What Happened?
Have humans changed dogs’ behavior over thousands of years of domestication?
When Darwinism becomes a fashionable doomsday cult…
Like all cults, it can make otherwise intelligent people begin to sound rather strange, even precarious
If Humans Were Just Animals, We Would Not Help Animals
Whether we like it or not, the gulf fixed between humans and other animals is what makes it possible for us to reject cruelty to animals
Harvard Law to Teach Rights of Nature
People think that such a whacky idea will never gain traction. But the nature-rights movement is making great headway
Gaia Reborn? New Climate Book Sees Earth as Living Entity
The Gaia hypothesis, pioneered by Lynn Margulis and James Lovelock was once ridiculed but Ferris Jabr thinks we should take it seriously to fight climate change
Utah Goes Up Against “Nature Rights”
Utah is the fourth state — the others are Ohio, Florida, and Idaho — restricting rights to the human realm where they belong.
Is Our World, Post-1950, Really a Geological Epoch?
Some earth scientists lobby for calling the past 75 years the Anthropocene epoch, giving it equal importance with the 16-million-year Upper Jurassic
The Anti-Human “Rights of Nature” Movement
Environmentalism is growing increasingly antii-human. Just look at what Milwaukee County did.Environmentalism is growing increasingly anti-human. The “nature rights” movement epitomizes the misanthropy. If the suppose rights of Nature (with a capital N) were ever enforced legally–human thriving would be throttled by elevating the entire natural world to quasi-personhood status deserving — at minimum — equal consideration with humans. Moreover, nature rights laws generally allow anyone to sue to enforce nature’s supposed rights, which would mean that human enterprise would be subject to lawfare by the most extreme environmentalists. Milwaukee County has jumped on the bandwagon. From a formal “Resolution Supporting the Nature Rights Movement:” WHEREAS, major bodies of water within Milwaukee County, including the Menominee River, Milwaukee River, and Fox River as well as Lake Michigan, provide essential biodiversity and wildlife habitats; andWHEREAS, these Read More ›
The United Nations is Considering Granting “Ocean Rights”
Why is granting “rights” to oceans becoming a thing?
Theoretical Physicist Admits That Humans Are Unique
In his forthcoming book, Marcelo Gleiser challenges us to acknowledge our responsibility to save the planet
Are Synthetic Pesticides Actually Good for Crops?
Josh Gilder thinks that government policies relating to pesticides are leading to declining crop yieldsStarting with the premise that any substance can be poisonous depending on the dose, Josh Gilder, founding partner of Reach Global Strategies argues that government policies related to synthetic pesticides, GMOs, and organic farming is reducing years of massive gains in agricultural production and is leading to declining crop yields and malnutrition. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) COSM is an exclusive national summit on the technologies remaking the world as we know it. The mission of the conference is to stimulate debate and deliberation amongst industry leaders, illuminating the synergy between Seattle and the world and providing a scene of civilized conversation and exchange. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This Read More ›
