Bearing Witness: The Human Rights Case Against Fracking and Climate Change
Editat de Thomas A. Kerns, Kathleen Dean Mooreen Limba Engleză Paperback – 19 apr 2021 – vârsta ani
On May 14, 2018, a respected international human-rights court, the Rome-based Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, began a week-long hearing on the impacts of fracking and climate change on human and Earth rights. In its advisory opinion, the Tribunal ruled that fracking systematically violates substantive and procedural human rights; that governments are complicit in the rights violations; and that to protect human rights and the climate, the practice of fracking should be banned.
The case makes history. It revokes the social license of extreme-extraction industries by connecting environmental destruction to human-rights violations. It affirms that climate change, and the extraction techniques that fuel it, directly violate deeply and broadly accepted moral norms encoded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Bearing Witness maps a promising new direction in the ongoing struggle to protect the planet from climate chaos. It tells the story of this landmark case through carefully curated court materials, including searing eye-witness testimony, groundbreaking legal testimony, and the Tribunal’s advisory opinion. Essays by leading climate writers such as Winona LaDuke, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sandra Steingraber and legal experts such as John Knox, Mary Wood, and Anna Grear give context to the controversy. Framing essays by the editors, experts on climate ethics and human rights, demonstrate that a human-rights focus is a powerful, transformative new tool to address the climate crisis.
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Specificații
ISBN-13: 9780870710728
ISBN-10: 0870710729
Pagini: 416
Ilustrații: Forewords. Notes. Further Reading. Index.
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 36 mm
Greutate: 0.61 kg
Ediția:1
Editura: Oregon State University Press
Colecția Oregon State University Press
ISBN-10: 0870710729
Pagini: 416
Ilustrații: Forewords. Notes. Further Reading. Index.
Dimensiuni: 152 x 229 x 36 mm
Greutate: 0.61 kg
Ediția:1
Editura: Oregon State University Press
Colecția Oregon State University Press
Recenzii
“This book is a devastating indictment of the controversial practice of fracking for oil and gas and more broadly the legal responsibility of coal, oil, and gas corporations for polluting the planet with vast volumes of greenhouse gases. It is crystal clear that in a world dedicated to human rights and gripped by an unprecedented climate emergency, fossil fuels must be phased out as rapidly as possible.” --David Boyd, United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment
"This extraordinary compendium is part legal analysis, part testimonial, part poetry. A cri de cœur, it is required reading for anyone seeking to understand the nature of fracking and its multitudinous impacts from a legal and moral perspective, which it then places in the context of climate change. In clear yet analytically rigorous language, it examines these complex and fraught issues from multiple perspectives, blending old and new legal frameworks, to imagine and develop more effective forms of advocacy. With contributions from some of the greatest legal thinkers of our day, it offers a roadmap for the present as we try, against the odds, to preserve the planet for the future."
- Erin Daly, Director, Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment
"This extraordinary compendium is part legal analysis, part testimonial, part poetry. A cri de cœur, it is required reading for anyone seeking to understand the nature of fracking and its multitudinous impacts from a legal and moral perspective, which it then places in the context of climate change. In clear yet analytically rigorous language, it examines these complex and fraught issues from multiple perspectives, blending old and new legal frameworks, to imagine and develop more effective forms of advocacy. With contributions from some of the greatest legal thinkers of our day, it offers a roadmap for the present as we try, against the odds, to preserve the planet for the future."
- Erin Daly, Director, Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment
Notă biografică
Thomas A. Kerns, emeritus professor of philosophy at North Seattle College, is Director of Environment and Human Rights Advisory. In 2015, he helped draft the international Declaration on Human Rights and Climate Change. Dr. Kerns co-organized the International Tribunal on Human Rights, Fracking and Climate Change, which provides the substance of this book.
Kathleen Dean Moore is a moral philosopher, environmental activist, and award-winning author or editor of a dozen books, including Moral Ground and Great Tide Rising. Her growing alarm at the devastation of nature led her to leave her longtime position as Distinguished Professor of Environmental Philosophy at Oregon State University to write and speak about the moral urgency of climate action. She writes from Corvallis, Oregon, and Chichagof Island, Alaska. www.riverwalking.com
Kathleen Dean Moore is a moral philosopher, environmental activist, and award-winning author or editor of a dozen books, including Moral Ground and Great Tide Rising. Her growing alarm at the devastation of nature led her to leave her longtime position as Distinguished Professor of Environmental Philosophy at Oregon State University to write and speak about the moral urgency of climate action. She writes from Corvallis, Oregon, and Chichagof Island, Alaska. www.riverwalking.com
Cuprins
Contents
Foreword by Anna Grear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Foreword by Tim DeChristopher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 HOW FRACKING VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Under what circumstances do fracking and other unconventional oil and
gas extraction techniques breach substantive and procedural human rights
protected by international law as a matter of treaty or custom?
Fracking, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Overview: “Rights Violations Associated with Fracking,”
by Linda Sheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 THE RIGHT TO HEALTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Human Rights Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Credo: “Fighting with Your Whole Heart: Human Rights
and the New Science of Fracking,” by Sandra Steingraber . . . . . . . . 50
1.2 THE RIGHT TO CLEAN WATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Clean Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Credo: “The Heart of the Monster,” by David James Duncan. . . . . . 78
1.3 THE RIGHT TO SECURITY OF PERSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Security of Person. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Credo: “Small Buried Things,” by Debra Marquart. . . . . . . . . . . 108
Credo: “Security of Person? Fracking and the
Contaminated Life,” by Michelle Maloney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
1.4 THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Participate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Credo: “Climate Justice Is Social Justice,” by Jacqueline Patterson. . 142
Credo: “Self-determination and the Right to Information
on the Shale Gas Frontier,” by Simona Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
2 HOW CLIMATE CHANGE VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS . . . . 150
What is the extent of responsibility and liability of States and nonstate
actors for violations of human rights and for environmental and climate
harm caused by these oil and gas extraction techniques?
Climate Change, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Overview: “The Declaration of Human Rights and Climate Change,”
by Kirsten Davies et al. and “Understanding Human Rights and
Climate Change” and “Climate Change and Human Rights,” by the
United Nations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
2.1 THE RIGHT TO LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Credo: “Human Rights and Climate Change:
Where We Are Now,” by John H. Knox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
2.2 THE RIGHT TO AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING. . . . 178
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to an Adequate Standard of Living . . . . . . 186
Credo: “Our Covenant Is Our Relationship
with the Place,” by Winona LaDuke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
2.3 THE RIGHT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO OWN, USE,
DEVELOP, AND CONTROL TRADITIONAL LANDS
AND RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right of Indigenous Peoples to Own,
Use, Develop, and Control Traditional Lands and Water. . . . . . . 208
Credo: “Indigenous Peoples and Climate Justice,”
by Kyle Powys Whyte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
3 HOW FRACKING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
VIOLATE THE RIGHTS OF NATURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
What is the extent of responsibility and liability of States and nonstate
actors both legal and moral, for violations of the rights of nature in relation
to environmental and climate harm caused by these unconventional oil
and gas extraction techniques?
Nature’s Rights, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Overview: “Do Fracking and Climate Change
Violate Nature’s Rights?” by Mari Margil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
3.1 THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND TO EXIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Nature’s Rights Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
The Right of Mother Earth to Regenerate Its Biocapacity
and to Continue Its Vital Cycles and Processes Free from
Human Disruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to Nature’s Right to Life and to Exist. . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Credo: “Together We Stand Upon Mother Earth,”
by Robin Kimmerer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
3.2 THE RIGHT OF MOTHER EARTH AND ALL BEINGS
OF WHICH SHE IS COMPOSED TO MAINTAIN THEIR
IDENTITY AND INTEGRITY AS DISTINCT,
SELF-REGULATING, AND INTERRELATED BEINGS. . . . . . 256
Nature’s Rights Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion in Regard
to Nature’s Right to Maintain Its Identity and Integrity. . . . . . . . 272
Credo: “Earth Jurisprudence,” by Cormac Cullinan. . . . . . . . . . 274
4 REMEDIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Under what circumstances do fracking and other unconventional oil
and gas extraction techniques warrant the issuance of either provisional
measures, a judgment enjoining further activity, remediation relief, or
damages for causing environmental harm?
Remedies, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Human Rights Law and Nature’s Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to Rights and Redress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Credo: “Atmospheric Recovery Litigation:
Making the Fossil Fuel Companies Pay for
Cleaning Up the Atmosphere,” by Mary Christina Wood. . . . . . . . . . . 285
5 THE ADVISORY OPINION (SELECTIONS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
6 CODA: A CALL TO WITNESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
7 FURTHER READING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
8 APPENDICES
I Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the
Environment: Declaration of Human Rights and Climate Change. . . 363
II Members of the Panel of Judges, Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal
Session on Human Rights, Fracking, and Climate Change. . . . . . . . 369
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Index of Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Foreword by Anna Grear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Foreword by Tim DeChristopher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiv
Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 HOW FRACKING VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Under what circumstances do fracking and other unconventional oil and
gas extraction techniques breach substantive and procedural human rights
protected by international law as a matter of treaty or custom?
Fracking, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Overview: “Rights Violations Associated with Fracking,”
by Linda Sheehan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
1.1 THE RIGHT TO HEALTH. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Human Rights Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Health. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Credo: “Fighting with Your Whole Heart: Human Rights
and the New Science of Fracking,” by Sandra Steingraber . . . . . . . . 50
1.2 THE RIGHT TO CLEAN WATER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Clean Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Credo: “The Heart of the Monster,” by David James Duncan. . . . . . 78
1.3 THE RIGHT TO SECURITY OF PERSON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Security of Person. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Credo: “Small Buried Things,” by Debra Marquart. . . . . . . . . . . 108
Credo: “Security of Person? Fracking and the
Contaminated Life,” by Michelle Maloney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
1.4 THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Participate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Credo: “Climate Justice Is Social Justice,” by Jacqueline Patterson. . 142
Credo: “Self-determination and the Right to Information
on the Shale Gas Frontier,” by Simona Perry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
2 HOW CLIMATE CHANGE VIOLATES HUMAN RIGHTS . . . . 150
What is the extent of responsibility and liability of States and nonstate
actors for violations of human rights and for environmental and climate
harm caused by these oil and gas extraction techniques?
Climate Change, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Overview: “The Declaration of Human Rights and Climate Change,”
by Kirsten Davies et al. and “Understanding Human Rights and
Climate Change” and “Climate Change and Human Rights,” by the
United Nations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
2.1 THE RIGHT TO LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
Credo: “Human Rights and Climate Change:
Where We Are Now,” by John H. Knox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
2.2 THE RIGHT TO AN ADEQUATE STANDARD OF LIVING. . . . 178
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right to an Adequate Standard of Living . . . . . . 186
Credo: “Our Covenant Is Our Relationship
with the Place,” by Winona LaDuke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
2.3 THE RIGHT OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES TO OWN, USE,
DEVELOP, AND CONTROL TRADITIONAL LANDS
AND RESOURCES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Human Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to the Right of Indigenous Peoples to Own,
Use, Develop, and Control Traditional Lands and Water. . . . . . . 208
Credo: “Indigenous Peoples and Climate Justice,”
by Kyle Powys Whyte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
3 HOW FRACKING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
VIOLATE THE RIGHTS OF NATURE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
What is the extent of responsibility and liability of States and nonstate
actors both legal and moral, for violations of the rights of nature in relation
to environmental and climate harm caused by these unconventional oil
and gas extraction techniques?
Nature’s Rights, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Overview: “Do Fracking and Climate Change
Violate Nature’s Rights?” by Mari Margil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
3.1 THE RIGHT TO LIFE AND TO EXIST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Nature’s Rights Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
The Right of Mother Earth to Regenerate Its Biocapacity
and to Continue Its Vital Cycles and Processes Free from
Human Disruption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Legal and Moral Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to Nature’s Right to Life and to Exist. . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Credo: “Together We Stand Upon Mother Earth,”
by Robin Kimmerer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
3.2 THE RIGHT OF MOTHER EARTH AND ALL BEINGS
OF WHICH SHE IS COMPOSED TO MAINTAIN THEIR
IDENTITY AND INTEGRITY AS DISTINCT,
SELF-REGULATING, AND INTERRELATED BEINGS. . . . . . 256
Nature’s Rights Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Eyewitness Testimony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Legal and Moral Testimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion in Regard
to Nature’s Right to Maintain Its Identity and Integrity. . . . . . . . 272
Credo: “Earth Jurisprudence,” by Cormac Cullinan. . . . . . . . . . 274
4 REMEDIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Under what circumstances do fracking and other unconventional oil
and gas extraction techniques warrant the issuance of either provisional
measures, a judgment enjoining further activity, remediation relief, or
damages for causing environmental harm?
Remedies, Defined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Human Rights Law and Nature’s Rights Law. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Synopsis of the Court’s Advisory Opinion
in Regard to Rights and Redress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
Credo: “Atmospheric Recovery Litigation:
Making the Fossil Fuel Companies Pay for
Cleaning Up the Atmosphere,” by Mary Christina Wood. . . . . . . . . . . 285
5 THE ADVISORY OPINION (SELECTIONS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
6 CODA: A CALL TO WITNESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
7 FURTHER READING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
8 APPENDICES
I Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the
Environment: Declaration of Human Rights and Climate Change. . . 363
II Members of the Panel of Judges, Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal
Session on Human Rights, Fracking, and Climate Change. . . . . . . . 369
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Index of Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Descriere
Fracking, the practice of shattering underground rock to release oil and natural gas, is a major driver of climate change. The 300,000 fracking facilities in the US also directly harm the health and livelihoods of people in front-line communities, who are disproportionately poor and people of color. Impacted citizens have for years protested that their rights have been ignored.
On May 14, 2018, a respected international human-rights court, the Rome-based Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, began a week-long hearing on the impacts of fracking and climate change on human and Earth rights. In its advisory opinion, the Tribunal ruled that fracking systematically violates substantive and procedural human rights; that governments are complicit in the rights violations; and that to protect human rights and the climate, the practice of fracking should be banned.
The case makes history. It revokes the social license of extreme-extraction industries by connecting environmental destruction to human-rights violations. It affirms that climate change, and the extraction techniques that fuel it, directly violate deeply and broadly accepted moral norms encoded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Bearing Witness maps a promising new direction in the ongoing struggle to protect the planet from climate chaos. It tells the story of this landmark case through carefully curated court materials, including searing eye-witness testimony, groundbreaking legal testimony, and the Tribunal’s advisory opinion. Essays by leading climate writers such as Winona LaDuke, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sandra Steingraber and legal experts such as John Knox, Mary Wood, and Anna Grear give context to the controversy. Framing essays by the editors, experts on climate ethics and human rights, demonstrate that a human-rights focus is a powerful, transformative new tool to address the climate crisis.
On May 14, 2018, a respected international human-rights court, the Rome-based Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, began a week-long hearing on the impacts of fracking and climate change on human and Earth rights. In its advisory opinion, the Tribunal ruled that fracking systematically violates substantive and procedural human rights; that governments are complicit in the rights violations; and that to protect human rights and the climate, the practice of fracking should be banned.
The case makes history. It revokes the social license of extreme-extraction industries by connecting environmental destruction to human-rights violations. It affirms that climate change, and the extraction techniques that fuel it, directly violate deeply and broadly accepted moral norms encoded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Bearing Witness maps a promising new direction in the ongoing struggle to protect the planet from climate chaos. It tells the story of this landmark case through carefully curated court materials, including searing eye-witness testimony, groundbreaking legal testimony, and the Tribunal’s advisory opinion. Essays by leading climate writers such as Winona LaDuke, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Sandra Steingraber and legal experts such as John Knox, Mary Wood, and Anna Grear give context to the controversy. Framing essays by the editors, experts on climate ethics and human rights, demonstrate that a human-rights focus is a powerful, transformative new tool to address the climate crisis.