Summary
In December 2015, the 3rd International Rights of Nature Tribunal was held in Paris, France. The Tribunal was held concurrently with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 21) in Paris, France. The Tribunal was hosted by the Global Alliance of the Rights of Nature in partnership with End Ecocide on Earth, NatureRights & Attac France.
The panel of judges consisted of internationally renowned lawyers and leaders for planetary justice, who heard three cases: Chevron/Texaco Case; Defenders of Nature and Mother Earth Case; and Yasuni ITT Case.
The Tribunal is a unique, citizen-created initiative that gives people from all around the world the opportunity to testify publicly as to the destruction of the Earth. 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. The Tribunal provides a systemic alternative to environmental protection, acknowledging that ecosystems have the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate their vital cycles.