WCEL at the UN General Assembly Dialogue on Harmony with Nature

The 8th Interactive Dialogue of the UN General Assembly on Harmony with Nature was held on 23 April in the UN ECOSOC Chamber pursuant to UN Resolution 72/223 Harmony with Nature (December 20, 2017). Continuing momentum of the Harmony with Nature program, WCEL contributed expertise on Nature's Rights and Earth Jurisprudence to the theme of reinforcing existing and emerging legal and economic frameworks for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12: Ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns.

• Kathryn Gwiazdon presented on, “How Earth ethics can inform local and global law and governance to create sustainable consumption and production patterns,” grounded in the work of the WCEL Ethics Specialist Group's Biosphere Ethics Initiative. Using the social contract of a State with its citizens, and its fundamental duty to protect its citizens, she argued that the State must protect the foundations of all life on Earth, as all life is interconnected – and humans are utterly dependent on the natural environment.
• Laura Movilla Pateiro highlighted the steady development of Earth Jurisprudence at national levels, and emphasized the need to "start a dialogue exploring the extension of this paradigm shift in environmental law and governance also to regional, global and transboundary levels."
• Denise Antolini focussed on recent judicial decisions that recognize the rights of nature, including the legal standing of the Amazon River Ecosystem. She drew connections to WCEL and the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment (GJIE) to support development, application, and enforcement of environmental laws. Furthermore, she highlighted the 1st WCEL International Water Justice Moot Court and other opportunities for learning about these cutting edge issues.

Full video of the Interactive Dialogue is available online in two parts: Part 1 and Part 2. The programme and transcripts of all interventions are posted to the Harmony with Nature website.