Rights of Nature - a good thing or a disaster in the making?

[EdwinWillers]

Read it for yourself: Universal Declaration of Rights of Mother Earth :: Rights of Nature

The Boulder county planning commission is actually considering the adoption of "nature's rights" language in their comprehensive plan. Boulder, which was hit hard by the recent floods, will hear arguments on the proposal at tomorrow's planning commission meeting (having nothing better to do I guess in the wake of the recent disastrous floods that ravaged Boulder county).

So what are your thoughts?

Is this something to worry about? Is it a "good" thing. Or is it a disaster in the making?

 

[Mach]

Good sentiment, childish and absurd execution. I especially like the pot shots at capitalists in there, surely that isn't clouding their noble message. They would do better to argue that the right to life, liberty, happiness, includes as a derivative the right to an environment that supports that life, liberty, and happiness. That at least fits in with our established understanding of fundamental rights and is arguably entirely reasonable. Instead they go off about some mother earth that needs them to define what's in it's best interest, even though it has no interests, it's just a thinly veiled claim on their part that THEIR way is best, and everyone else be damned. Very authoritarian of them.

 

[longview]

The power to tax and regulate is the power to destroy.
It looks like someone wants a lot more power.

 

[EdwinWillers]

This, from the second article, basically sums up the potential:

Will it follow the lead of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, in viewing ecosystems as "persons" for purposes of environmental enforcement? Or will it treat Boulder's abundant natives as second-class citizens?

Personally, I think the notion of giving nature the same rights as humans is more a political tool than it is legitimate concern for nature. Radical environmentalists could for example easily stop things like fracking, or drilling for oil and natural gas on the basis of "nature's rights." It gives them a new excuse to oppose a host of things they ideologically detest.

But the really scary part is that I know too that many of these people are genuinely sincere in their beliefs - irrationally sincere. While we are to be good stewards of our environment, I strongly doubt that meant we are to recognize and honor "that trees, oceans, animals, mountains have rights just as human beings have rights." The thought that that sort of intensely irrational thinking could be making inroads into our social discourse is truly scary.

 

[Dittohead not!]

We, the peoples and nations of Earth:

considering that we are all part of Mother Earth, an indivisible, living community of interrelated and interdependent beings with a common destiny;

OK so far, that much is true.

gratefully acknowledging that Mother Earth is the source of life, nourishment and learning and provides everything we need to live well;

Well, partly. It brings to mind a pastor who complimented a farmer with, "Nice place that you and God have here."
To which the farmer replied, "Yes, isn't it? But you should have seen it when he was taking care of it by himself."

recognizing that the capitalist system and all forms of depredation, exploitation, abuse and contamination have caused great destruction, degradation and disruption of Mother Earth, putting life as we know it today at risk through phenomena such as climate change;

the capitalist system? So, we want to end the capitalist system and have, what, socialism? this "universal declaration" comes from the land of Evo Morales, who is a self described socialist despite the wealth that capitalism is bringing to his nation. Moreover, the native peoples of the Andes worship the "Pacha Mama", or Mother earth, blended with Catholicism, of course, and have for hundreds of years.

No, I think we should just leave it alone and let it die out, like a pretty candle that really serves no practical purpose.

 

[Phys251]

Mother Nature doesn't have rights.
Mother Nature has powers. Powers that the most devastating forces of man can't even touch.

Our deciding whether we're more powerful than nature is like a serf deciding whether he's more powerful than the emperor.

 

[rathi]

Environmentalism is a worthy cause, but many of its proponents are complete idiots. The idea that all living things have natural rights is downright absurd. You commit mass slaughter of bacteria every time you wash your hands. "Mother Nature" is not some kind of entity with goals and dreams, its merely the result of causality. Ecosystem collapse, mass extinction and other catastrophes are all perfectly natural. The funny part is that even if humans completely wipe our the current environment and ourselves, new organisms will simply evolve to replace us.

Ultimately, environmentalism is about humans and our desires. We fears things like global warming because it would harm us even if billions of other organisms could handle the heat just fine. We want to preserve natural parks because some of us enjoy spending time among undeveloped terrain and wildlife. Its much more sensible to be honest and admit our true motivations rather than invent some made up nature deity so we can pretend our actions are somehow more selfless.

 

[Rainman05]

This is what I think of the guys who made that site and their text.

Srsly. Get a job. become influential by being good at whatever you decided to do. And then become a spokesman for the environment. Nobody cares about unwashed hippies.

And I do think the environment is important. So if you're a hippie, go to China and India and protest against their complete deregulation of industry.

 

[phattonez]

Mother Earth is a living being!

Hippie garbage that cannot die quickly enough.

 

[phattonez]

the capitalist system? So, we want to end the capitalist system and have, what, socialism?

There is a reason that environmentalists are often called watermelons. Green on the outside, red inside.

 

[EdwinWillers]

There is a reason that environmentalists are often called watermelons. Green on the outside, red inside.

Euel Gibbons would be so ashamed of today's "environmentalists."

 

[ChezC3]

This is what I think of the guys who made that site and their text.

Srsly. Get a job. become influential by being good at whatever you decided to do. And then become a spokesman for the environment. Nobody cares about unwashed hippies.

And I do think the environment is important. So if you're a hippie, go to China and India and protest against their complete deregulation of industry.

Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man...

 

[Gipper]

The next time I piss in someone's pool, I'll think of this and be a little more excited.