My most recent book, The Politics of Rights of Nature: Strategies for Building a More Sustainable Future, analyzes the global diffusion of Earth law, including legal provisions that recognize rights of Nature, and their role in changing global norms and policy debates regarding how to practice sustainable development and address climate change. This book and related articles I have written examine the global rights of Nature movement and its effort to incorporate rights of Nature into laws and institutions at both the domestic and international levels. Ideas about rights of Nature exist in many different cultures, including Western and non-Western cultures, as well as Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures. Much of my research compares different legal and cultural expressions of rights of Nature to understand key areas of similarity and differences, as well as the practical implications of legally structuring and framing rights of Nature one way versus another. Theoretically, my work addresses how global norms emerge and change, and provides an alternative to explanations rooted in Western, neoliberal norms like human rights and sovereignty. Empirically, I am analyzing the politics surrounding the development of Earth law/rights of nature provisions in many countries around the world, representing every continent, as well as efforts to incorporate rights of Nature into international law and institutions. Due to the large size of the project, I am collaborating with Pamela Martin of Coastal Carolina University on much of this work.
In December 2015, the UN General Assembly passed resolution 70/208, which called for the development of Earth Jurisprudence (Earth Law) as part of a post-2015 sustainable development agenda dedicated to living in harmony with nature. As a member of the United Nations Knowledge Network on Harmony with Nature, I participate in annual dialogues and provide recommendations based on the results of my research on implementing rights of nature legislation (Earth Jurisprudence) and related norms. Read the 2022 UN Secretary General report or access previous reports and other information about the UN initiative here.
