According to Canada.com via the PostMedia News, the ambassador to the United Nations from Bolivia will present an initiative to grant “Mother Earth” human rights such as the right to life, water, and clean air and freedom from “domination and exploitation.” The government of Bolivia recently passed a similar law granting such rights to all natural things and living creatures in the South American country. The U.N. treaty would establish a Ministry of Mother Earth, complete with a representative designated to hear the Earth’s “complaints” as brought by activist and protection groups. Pablo Salon, Bolivia’s ambassador, explained, “If you want to achieve balance, and you think that the only (entities) who have rights are humans or companies, then how can you reach balance? But if you recognize that nature too has rights, and (if you provide) legal forms to protect and preserve those rights, then you can achieve balance.” In Bolivia’s indigenous culture, humans are equal with all other entities and the Earth is the center of life. The bid has already received support from Nicaragua, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Antigua, among others.
