Humanize From Discovery Institute's Center on Human Exceptionalism
Category

Nature and Conservation

mosquitos-floating-in-the-water-suitable-for-nature-and-pest-802378218-stockpack-adobe_stock
Mosquitos floating in the water, suitable for nature and pest control concepts
Image Credit: Ева Поликарпова - Adobe Stock

“Rights of Nature Tribunal” Seeks to “End Fossil Fuel Era”

The nature-rights movement continues to advance, and that’s bad for human thriving. Now, a “tribunal” will be held in New York — coinciding with Climate Week NYC 2024 — to promote the rights of nature and undermine public support for fossil fuels. The tribunal’s website is typical of the anti-humanism that permeates the nature-rights movement. For example, the fundamental philosophy of nature rights — as elucidated at the website, is “that the interests of nonhuman beings are of equal importance to human interests.” So, pond scum, mosquitoes, trees, squirrels, grass, and scallops are equal to us. That’s self-loathing any way you look at it. Worse, adopting such a misanthropic approach to environmentalism would have serious consequences to human thriving. For example, forget about heating Read More ›

humans-hand-planting-single-plant-plants-survival-in-the-drought-inspiring-actions-to-save-the-world-eco-friendly-concept-life-in-the-arid-landscape-hope-for-a-greener-future-stockpack-adobe-stock
Human's hand planting single plant , plant's survival in the drought, Inspiring actions to save the world, eco-friendly concept, life in the arid landscape, hope for a greener future.

“Plant Philosophy” Denigrates Human Uniqueness

Lately, as scientists unlock the complexity of plant biology, we are witnessing equivalent advocacy with regard to plants. The latest example of such radical anthropomorphizing comes to us in a long article just published in Aeon that discusses "plant philosophy." Read More ›
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View of Snæfellsjökull, Snaefellsnes Peninsula, Iceland

Icelanders Nominated a Glacier for President to Push “Nature Rights” Movement

Here is a story on "nature rights" activism that, on first impression, leaves one bemused. But I think it has important implications. Activists tried to qualify a glacier for the Iceland presidential ballot. Read More ›
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The flooded streets of the city of Kherson after the explosion of the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir. Ecological catastrophe in Ukraine. Russian-Ukrainian war. Exclusive drone footage
Image Credit: Владимир Смирнов - Adobe Stock

No, Putin Should Not Be Charged With the “Crime” of “Ecocide”

Vladimir Putin is a war criminal of the worst order for his atrocities against Ukraine. He is responsible for human carnage, the deaths and terrible woundings of hundreds of thousands of people — from soldiers to civilians and even children killed in hospitals where they were receiving medical treatment. But . . . should he ever be called to so face the music, he should not be charged with "ecocide." Read More ›
Kamala_Harris_on_the_phone_with_Justin_Trudeau_Lawrence_Jackson
Public domain image from Wikimedia, by Lawrence Jackson

Science Journal Swoons Over Kamala

These days, scientific and medical journals are seemingly as much ideological — on the left — as scientific. Nature — perhaps the preeminent science journal in the world — has posted a piece swooning over Vice President Kamala Harris as a "historic" presumptive presidential nominee stirring "optimism" among scientists. Why? Read More ›
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Danger, problems concept. Close up of human hand drowning in the lake

NYU Law Pushes MOTH — “More Than Human” Life Project

How radical are our leading law schools becoming? I wrote recently that Harvard Law School and Harvard University are instituting a class that will teach nature rights. Well, it's way behind New York University's School of Law, which recently launched and sponsors the MOTH project — "more than human life" — an initiative of the TERRA (The Earth Rights Research and Action) Program that pushes the nature-rights paradigm toward societal dominance. Read More ›
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The amazing views from Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Resort in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Jackson, Wyo., Approves “Rights of Nature” Resolution

Jackson, Wyo. — the Tetons are my favorite place in the world — just approved a "rights of nature" resolution. It includes everything that exists. This is nonsense. If everything has rights, nothing does really. Read More ›
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Silhouettes of crude oil pumps at sunset

Medical Journal Editorial Urges Lawfare Against Oil Companies

A Perspectives editorial penned by law professors in the New England Journal of Medicine enters the fray again, this time, advocating lawfare by governments against fossil fuel industries. The authors take heart from a legal settlement between a Louisiana parish and oil companies. But this case is not the same thing at all as paying damages for climate change. Read More ›
polar-bear-on-the-ice-two-bears-love-on-drifting-ice-with-snow-white-animals-in-nature-habitat-svalbard-norway-animals-playing-in-snow-arctic-wildlife-funny-image-in-nature-stockpack-adobe-stock
Polar bear on the ice. Two bears love on drifting ice with snow, white animals in nature habitat, Svalbard, Norway. Animals playing in snow, Arctic wildlife. Funny image in nature.

Too Many Climate Scientists Confuse ‘Science’ with Activism

Remember when a scientist admitted to removing nuance from a climate-change study because he believed that Nature would not publish it if he did not strictly follow the favored narrative of human-caused climate catastrophe? And now — perhaps in a reaction to that piece — Nature has published a cogent warning that too many scientists in the climate-change sector conflate "climate science" with "climate activism." Read More ›
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John W. Weeks vintage Bridge with clock tower over Charles River in Harvard University campus Boston

Harvard Law to Teach Rights of Nature

The mainstreaming of the rights-of-nature movement is accelerating — to the point that it is deemed worthy of a class at Harvard Law and History Department. Opponents had better start passing laws federally and in each state preserving "rights" and legal standing strictly to the human realm (as Utah did recently). Read More ›