Summary
In 2019, GARN held an international rights of nature tribunal in Santiago, Chile. Judges heard five cases: 1) Lithium mining in the Atacama Desert (Chile), 2) Threats to Water Cycles in Patagonia (Chile), 3) Privatization of water (Chile); 4. Amazon Ecocide (several countries), 5) Fracking in Vaca Muerta (Argentina). The citizens’ tribunal served as a model for how courts could operate under rights of nature laws, specifically the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth. Each verdict recognized that rights of nature were violated and called upon various agencies to recognize rights of nature.