Can you imagine a world where we subsidised slowing down, supporting citizens and communities to co-create regenerative systems and infrastructure that serves life itself - instead of subsidising extractive industries and infrastructure to make us go faster and destroy life ?
Feels insane that a couple of weeks ago we all watched a video of a young man burning to death in a hospital bed and somehow the global diplomatic incident today is about a bunch of racist football hooligans getting a shoeing. What are we doing?
Causation, causation, causation
A lot of people this week have drawn the obvious allusions between the disruption caused by climate protesters & the disruptions caused by climate-related weather events, like the flash flooding in Valencia. A key part of the disparate treatment by the law of these disruptions arises from the concept of causation.
Causation is the concept defining which causes & effects can be linked; & just because they can be definitely linked *factually* does not mean they can be linked *legally*. When our common law was originally created centuries ago, causation was reasonably simple because it was difficult to have an effect on anything or anyone outside your immediate physical surroundings or distant from you in time. That is no longer true: people & companies can now through their actions cause huge harm, death & destruction to people on the other side of the planet, or in a different century to them. However the law simply had not caught up; in effect we are currently trying to deal with 21st century levels of complexity, with a legal system based on 17th century notions on causation.
The result can be seen in many of the absurdities about how the law deals with the climate crisis: from things like climate protesters not having necessity defences as their actions are deemed too remote from the threat, to fossil fuel companies executives having no legal liability for the huge & clearly quantifiable & evidenced harm they are causing.
If you watch anything today let it be this. This man is speaking for his people and every single person who is standing in complete solidarity with Palestine. Let his voice be heard around the world. United We Stand 🇵🇸🕊️🇵🇸
New podcast series to be released during #COP16Colombia! In partnership with @ForestPeoplesP and @cbd_wc highlighting key demands and priorities for Indigenous Peoples, local communities & women taking part in the upcoming @COP16Oficial.
▶️ Subscribe here: https://t.co/ZNZPMB0Hvq
Why I decided to question the landowner trying to ban wild camping in England…
On Tuesday I was in the Supreme Court watching the case where Alexander Darwall was seeking to ban wild camping on Dartmoor- the only place in England it’s currently legal. Whilst the legal arguments concerning the statutory interpretation of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 were interesting, I felt that the legal process was missing many of the more interesting & pertinent questions.
I was keenly aware that Darwall had never given an interview (except to a ‘friendly’ publication like Country Life) or public explanation of his actions, despite the fact that he was trying to strip the public of important rights they had enjoyed for decades (& likely centuries). I therefore waited outside court to politely ask him as many questions as I could, regarding his motivations, actions & (some might say) his hypocrisies in relation to his land. I believe his responses, or lack thereof, in the video below speak for themselves.
Darwall is an almost perfect pantomime villain: the smug hedgefund manager smirking at the idea of stopping ordinary people from enjoying a night under the stars. Perhaps more importantly though, I think this video highlights the absurdity of the current system. That our precious rights to spend time in nature could be so legally flimsy that they could be imperilled by a landowner with an excess of money & a yawning gap where his soul should be.
This is why, whether the case is won or lost, we need to follow the example of Scotland & bring in a new Right to Roam Act to clearly state our right to access & enjoy Nature in England & put it beyond the reach of people like Darwall.
🧵 I've put together this thread to show just how much flooding has happened around the world, and this is only for the month of September—and it's not even over yet! Please share this because I don't think the message is getting out there.
Türkiye...
https://t.co/LCPBafy4Xj
“THIS IS ANIMISM BY THE BACKDOOR!”
Sadly our Rights of Nature Motion was rejected by @bathnes. Apart from the slightly strange objection from one councillor (quoted above), most of the objections were of the view that, whilst it was an interesting idea, it was not possible to implement within the current national legal framework. This was troubling, given the motion went to some lengths to spell out how the council could take a Rights of Nature approach using its existing powers & discretion, within the current legal framework.
This is, however, very much the beginning not the end of the story. @LawForNature intend to produce a more detailed report (dealing with the issues raised in objection) that other councillors can use to propose Rights of Nature motions. If you know any councillors who might be willing to propose such a motion, do get in touch.
Many thanks are due to @GreenGroupBANES for having the courage to take the first step!
Israeli attacks have killed at least 182 people in Lebanon. Get the latest on the increasingly deadly violence from Beirut-based media organization @ThePublicSource ⤵️
Thousands of wounded are filling Lebanon's hospitals, straining an already struggling healthcare system further.
Dr. @GhassanAbuSitt1, who recently traveled to Beirut to support relief efforts, describes what he's witnessed so far.
I'm pretty sure this disaster won't be showcased at the Cannes Film Festival next year. 'Serious' art doesn't deal with this kind of thing (for reasons explained in my 'Great Derangement').
It’s hard to imagine a more shameful indictment of our sewage crisis than what I witnessed on the River Avon this afternoon.
A flock of swans & ducks feeding & cavorting in a plume of raw sewage, just a few hundred metres from the centre of the genteel City of Bath.
This huge sewage spill entered the river after a short 10 minute rainstorm of average intensity. It is highly unlikely that the circumstances were exceptional and thus this discharge is likely to be a criminal offence.
I (somewhat ironically) spotted this spill on my way to speak to local river activists on the Avon. I’ve encouraged them all to demand that both the @EnvAgency & the local authority @bathnes hold @wessexwater to account for their disgusting & disgraceful actions.
I have just been reading about Romany child burials from a long time ago; they were buried with an acorn in each hand, usually along a green lane at a favourite stopping place, often resulting in twin oaks as a remembrance marker.