In Cochabamba Bolivia in 2011, tens of thousands were present on Mother Earth Day as the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Mother Earth was declared in response to the “privatization” of nature by the corporate state. This was in alignment with Indigenous worldviews that have accelerated the development of rights of nature law. Both Ecuador and Bolivia, as well as numerous local jurisdictions, have amended their constitutions to include a “rights of nature.”
Listen in: https://bit.ly/NatureGandR
In this episode, we talk with Pennie Opal Plant (@PennieOpal) and Shannon Biggs (@ShannonKBiggs), co-founders of Movement Rights (@movementrights), about the growing movement around the rights of nature. We discuss the legal, political and cultural aspects of the growing rights of nature movement. We also discuss the recent news that oil has begun to flow through Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline after 8 years of resistance, the Indigenous rights movement and the climate movements in the U.S. and globally.
Pennie Opal Plant is an Indigenous grandmother of Yaqui, Mexican, undocumented Choctaw and Cherokee and European descent. Born in the shadow of the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, CA, she has been a protector and defender of the sacred system of life for over 35 years. She is co-founder of Movement Rights now sits on the Board as lead advisor. She is a signatory on the Indigenous Women of the Americas Defending Mother Earth Treaty, along with Casey Camp-Horinek. Pennie is also the co-founder of Idle No More SF Bay and continues as an advisor.
Shannon Biggs is the co-founder and Director of Movement Rights, a climate justice organization aligning human laws with the laws of Nature by advancing Rights of Indigenous peoples, Nature and communities. Movement Rights assisted the Ponca Nation of Oklahoma to become the first tribe to recognize rights of nature for tribal lands in the US, and has led strategic gatherings on Rights of Nature and Economics, and the Indigenous-led 2019 Frontline Oil and Gas (FOG) conference with over 200 national grassroots environmental justice and indigenous participants. Internationally she is a recognized leader of the rights of nature movement, a co-founder of the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), and the co-author/editor of two books including “The Rights of Nature, Making the Case for the Universal Declaration on the Rights of Nature.”
Links//
- Movement Rights: https://www.movementrights.org/
- Movement Rights on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3D8qbeV
- Pennie Opal Plant: Mother Earth Does Not Negotiate (https://bit.ly/3mfK7Wm)
- October 19 webinar (11 am Pacific): How Indigenous-led Rights of Nature is Transforming Climate Action NOW Registration here: https://bit.ly/3D9l12g
- Pennie’s chapter on False solutions in the NDN Collective’s new book, “Required Reading” (https://bit.ly/3itM0NV)
- People Vs Fossil Fuels Action in DC Oct 11-15: https://peoplevsfossilfuels.org
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This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues” by Moody. Editing by Isaac.
