Sweden Declaration on the Rights of Lake Vättern

Summary

From 2018 to 2019, Swedish Earth Rights lawyers drafted a declaration of the rights of Lake Vättern in collaboration with the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF). After being drafted, the declaration was adopted by the Earth Rights Conference in November 2019, and the document is the foundation for an emerging coalition for the rights of Lake Vättern.

The second article of the declaration recognizes three rights of Lake Vättern: “(1) to naturally exist, flourish, regenerate, and develop; (2) to restoration, recovery, and conservation; and (3) to perform their natural functions.” In addition to recognizing the rights of Lake Vättern, the declaration’s third article describes the human obligations towards the lake. According to these obligations, every person is responsible for “living in harmony with Lake Vättern” and damage caused by human violations “shall be remedied and society shall be responsible for restoring the integrity and health of Lake Vättern.”

Lake Vättern is the second-largest lake in Sweden and provides drinking water for over 250,000 people, which may increase as other Swedish cities look to Vättern as a water source. The lake has been polluted by corporations and the Swedish state, and communities surrounding the lake have advocated for years against the environmental destruction of Lake Vättern and its ecosystems. The declaration recognizes that current legislation has failed to protect Lake Vättern and people’s right to a healthy environment.

Involved Organizations

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