Melissa Troutman and Joshua Pribanic, directors of Invisible Hand and co-founders of Public Herald, discuss the landmark Los Cedros ruling and its global impact. They explore the significance of the ruling for the environmental movement, the rights of nature, the preservation of biodiversity, and the shift towards a more sustainable way of living.
The Los Cedros ruling protected a large forested area in Ecuador, highlighting the importance of rights of nature and promoting a more holistic approach to environmental battles.
The Los Cedros ruling has set the stage for a potential transformation in society, where governments prioritize nature in decision-making, moving towards a system that recognizes the interconnectedness of nature and human well-being.
Deep dives
The significance of the Los Cedros ruling
The Los Cedros ruling in Ecuador, which protected 25,000 acres of forest from mining, was seen as a turning point for the environmental movement. It brought attention to the concept of rights of nature and garnered support from the international community. The ruling not only protected the biodiversity of the forest but also reintroduced indigenous knowledge and perspectives, bringing a more holistic approach to environmental battles. This landmark case has changed the perspective of environmental organizations and individuals, making them more receptive to the idea of rights of nature and its potential to transform democracy into a system that serves the interests of nature.
The emergence of a nytocracy
The podcast guests discussed a potential transformation in society where governments prioritize nature in decision-making, transitioning from democracy to what they referred to as a nytocracy. This shift would move away from an anthropocentric focus towards a system that recognizes the importance of nature and its interconnectedness with human well-being. The Los Cedros case and the emergence of rights of nature have laid the groundwork for this transformation and have led to discussions about biodiversity as a foundational principle for such changes. The guests believe that the rights of nature movement and similar shifts in thinking are crucial for building a more sustainable, just, and equitable world.
The power of the Los Cedros ruling and rights of nature
The podcast emphasized the power of the Los Cedros ruling in shaping the future of environmental decision-making. Unlike many rulings that focus on specific endangered species, this ruling considered the entire ecosystem and emphasized the importance of biodiversity. It provided a strong foundation for lawmakers and regulators to interpret and protect biodiversity in their decision-making processes. The ruling was seen as a breakthrough, demonstrating the potential of rights of nature to guide sustainable decisions and challenge the traditional capitalist and regulatory approaches. The guests expressed optimism about the cultural shift that rights of nature signifies, highlighting the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of all living beings and shifting power back to where it belongs, in a more sustainable and equitable world.
Last episode we told the story of Ecuador's rights-of-nature journey, today Melissa Troutman and Joshua Pribanic, directors of Invisible Hand and co-founders of the journalism organization Public Herald, join to talk about what the landmark Los Cedros ruling means, not just for Ecuador but the world.