Credit: Diego Tirira/Flickr

Ecuador’s forest win sets global precedent for nature’s legal rights

The Los Cedros forest in Ecuador’s Andes has become a global symbol of how granting nature legal rights can protect biodiversity from industrial threats like mining.

Peter Yeung reports for Yes!

In short:

The Los Cedros forest, one of the world’s most biodiverse places, was saved from mining by a landmark court ruling that recognized nature’s legal rights.
The ruling builds on Ecuador’s 2008 constitution, which grants nature rights, setting a precedent for protecting ecosystems worldwide.
Challenges remain in implementing these protections, with concerns about illegal activities and nearby industrial threats.

Key quote:

“There was no case before this, there was no precedent. It was a case of science winning over extractive industries.”

— Josef DeCoux, conservationist

Why this matters:

This ruling is part of a global movement to give legal rights to nature, offering new tools to protect ecosystems essential to human health and survival, especially in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change. Read more: Could the Ohio River have rights? A movement to grant rights to the environment tests the power of local control.

www.yesmagazine.org

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Credit: jmattaikenjd2009/Pixabay

British Columbia's election may shift climate and Indigenous policies

British Columbia’s upcoming election presents voters with a choice between the BC NDP’s progressive approach to climate action and Indigenous rights and the BC Conservative Party’s climate denial and opposition to shared land use with First Nations.

Arno Kopecky reports for The Walrus.

Keep reading...Show less

Read the Full Article on

thewalrus.ca

Ecuador’s forest win sets global precedent for nature’s legal rights

FEMA nears disaster fund crisis as hurricanes drain resources

Climate change is driving stronger hurricanes as cities remain unprepared

Floods and disinformation threaten Black voter turnout in the wake of Hurricane Helene

Hurricanes force some Floridians to face the impossible cost of evacuating

Oregon utility faces climate lawsuit for misleading customers

The fight to protect water in Fort Chipewyan grows urgent

British Columbia's election may shift climate and Indigenous policies

Houston area has more than 100 unauthorized air pollution events already this year

An EHN analysis finds nearly half were related to flaring.

LISTEN: Mokshda Kaul on making the clean energy transition work for all

“Coalitions become this interesting way to create buy-in.”

Op-ed: Is plastic the biggest climate threat?

A plastics treaty for the climate and health must address overproduction of plastics and head off the petrochemical and plastic industry’s planned expansion.

Residents say Pennsylvania has failed communities after state studies linked fracking to child cancer

Last year Pennsylvania Department of Health studies showed increased risk of childhood cancer, asthma and low birth weights for people living near fracking. Advocates say not enough has been done since.

The fossil fuel industry is disproportionately harming low-income and minority women: Report

“Women, in all of their diversity, must be at the center of climate and energy decision-making.”

Op-ed: People need shelter from climate change — their health hangs in the balance

The discourse on climate resilience must include affordable housing policy solutions.