
U.N. Human Rights Chief Pushes Nature Rights
How radical has the U.N. become? This radical. Volker Türk, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated in a recent speech at Oxford University that nature rights are equivalent to human rights. First, he briefly focused on our obligations as humans to treat the environment responsibly. From the Scoop World transcript: We have a responsibility to treat our planet with respect; to protect its glaciers and forests; to support the diversity of species on land and in the sea; to keep our rivers and lakes clean; to preserve nature, including ourselves. No argument. That is a core principle of human exceptionalism. But then, Türk denies that this responsibility flows from our exceptionalism, but rather, claims that our understanding Read More ›